Pronunciation

How to pronounce “wants

“wants” is pronounced /wɑnts/ (WAHNTS) in American English and /wɒnts/ in British English, and /wɔnts/ is also accepted — one syllable.
The sound

Say “wants” in one beat

Say it like this

wants

/wɑnts/

The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /wɒnts/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.

1 beat
  1. wantswɑnts
IPA (American)
/wɑnts/
IPA (British)
/wɒnts/
Also accepted
/wɔnts/
Respelling
WAHNTS
Syllables
1 — wants
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /wɑnts/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
noun, verb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/wɑnts/

British

/wɒnts/

No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.

Meaning

What “wants” means

  1. noun

    a state of extreme poverty

  2. noun

    the state of needing something that is absent or unavailable

    there is a serious lack of insight into the problem

  3. noun

    anything that is necessary but lacking

    he had sufficient means to meet his simple needs

Say it in a sentence

He wants to learn how to sail this summer.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

5 sounds, in the order you say them

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

wants”, answered

How do you pronounce “wants”?

“wants” is pronounced /wɑnts/ (WAHNTS) in American English and /wɒnts/ in British English, and /wɔnts/ is also accepted — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /wɑnts/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “wants” have?

One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /wɑnts/ — a single beat.

Is “wants” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /wɑnts/ (WAHNTS); British English says /wɒnts/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “wants” mean?

As a noun: a state of extreme poverty For example: “He wants to learn how to sail this summer.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “wants”?

One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /wɑnts/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.

Practise this word

Now say “wants” and see every sound

Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.