Word Confusion: Want vs Won’t vs Wont

Posted April 15, 2021 by Kathy Davie in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

Revised as of
9 Jan 2023

Such is my wont that I must explore these so easily confused words, for I want that your work should appear well and that it won’t frustrate your readers.

For such is the wont of too many writers to forget that apostrophe when contracting will not. I really want you to grasp that difference . . .

You may also want to explore “Wanton versus Wonton“.

Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noir for you from either end.

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Want	Won’t	Wont
Uncle Sam I Want You poster by DonkeyHotey is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Flickr.	This Won’t Take Long by quapan is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Flickr.	Woman Sitting on Bed with a Cup of Coffee and Reading a Book by Nenad Stojkovic is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Flickr. — As is her wont, she enjoys a cup of coffee as she reads.
Part of Grammar:
Noun; Verb, intransitive & transitive Plural for the noun: wants Gerund: wanting Third person present verb: wants Past tense or past participle: wanted Present participle: wanting	Contraction for will not Verb, modal Third person present verb: will not Past tense or past participle: would not (wouldn’t) ~~Present participle~~	Adjective; Noun; Verb, intransitive & transitive Gerund: wonting Third person present verb: wonts, wont Past tense or past participle: wonted Present participle: wonting
Noun: A lack or deficiency of something The state of being poor and in need of essentials Poverty A desire for something Verb, intransitive: Have a desire to possess or do (something) Wish for [Mainly North American; informal; want in/into/out/away] Desire to be in or out of a particular place or situation [With infinitive; informal] Ought, should, or need to do something [With present participle; mainly British; of a thing] Require to be attended to in a specified way [Literary] Lack or be short of something desirable or essential Verb, transitive: Have a desire to possess or do (something) Wish for Wish to consult or speak to (someone) [Usually be wanted of the police] Desire to question or apprehend (a suspected criminal) Desire (someone) sexually [With infinitive; informal] Ought, should, or need to do something [With present participle; mainly British; of a thing] Require to be attended to in a specified way [Archaic; chiefly used in expressions of time] Be short of or lack (a specified amount or thing)	Expressing the negative in a future action Expressing the future tense Expressing a strong intention or assertion about the future Expressing inevitable events Expressing a request Expressing desire, consent, or willingness Expressing facts about ability or capacity Expressing habitual behavior [When pronounced, will is stressed] Indicating annoyance about the habitual behavior described Expressing probability or expectation about something in the present	Habitual custom Adjective: [With infinitive; literary; of a person] In the habit of doing something Accustomed Noun: [Formal; humorous; one’s wont] One’s customary behavior in a particular situation Practice Habit Verb, intransitive: To be in the habit of doing something Verb, transitive: Make, be, or become accustomed to To accustom (a person), as to a thing [Usually used passively] To render (a thing) customary or usual
Examples:
Noun: There are so many Victorian houses which are in want of repair. For want of a better location we ate our picnic lunch in the cemetery. I can tell ya it won’t be through want of trying. True wealth is a freedom from want. Oh my word . . . that house truly is the expression of their wants and desires, isn’t it? Verb, intransitive: I’ll give you a lift into town if you want. If anyone wants out, there’s the door. You shall want for nothing while you are with me. Verb, transitive: I want an apple. We want to go to the beach. She wanted me to go to her room. Tony wants me in the studio. He is wanted by the police in connection with an arms theft. I’ve wanted you since the first moment I saw you. You don’t want to believe everything you hear. The wheel wants greasing. It wanted twenty minutes to midnight. It wants a few minutes of five o’clock.	You won’t regret it when you are older. Sam won’t be doing any work this afternoon. Come what may, he won’t succeed. If we set up these safety procedures, accidents won’t happen. Won’t you stop here, please. Won’t you have a cognac? That broken glass won’t hold water. Your tank won’t hold 26 gallons. She won’t wake up for hours. He won’t be intruding anymore. They won’t be anywhere near by now. I had hoped you wouldn’t do that.	Adjective: He was wont to arise at 5:30 every morning. She was wont to walk along the beach at sunset. He was wont to come early. Noun: Constance, as was her wont, had paid her little attention. It was her wont to walk three miles before breakfast. As is his wont, he enjoys a glass of scotch when he comes home of an evening. Verb, intransitive: Sons wont to nurse their parents in old age. Back in the day, college girls were wont to find a husband. He was wont to rise early. Verb, transitive: Wont thy heart to thoughts hereof. That summer wonted me to a lifetime of early rising. “She was wont to mention the length of Rebecca’s hair and add a word as to its remarkable evenness and lustre” (Wiggin).
Derivatives:
Noun: wanter		Adjective: wontless
History of the Word:
Middle English with the noun from the Old Norse vant, neuter of vanr meaning lacking; the verb from the Old Norse vanta meaning be lacking. The original notion of lack was early extended to need and from this developed the sense desire.	Old English wyllan is of Germanic origin and related to the Dutch willen and the German wollen, from an Indo-European root shared by the Latin velle meaning will, wish. 1562 is the first known use of won’t from wonnot.	Old English gewunod is a past participle of wunian, meaning dwell, be accustomed and of Germanic origin.

Want

Won’t

Wont

Uncle Sam I Want You poster by DonkeyHotey is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Flickr.

Gradated blue background with the title on it in white

This Won’t Take Long by quapan is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Flickr.

Dark-haired woman in a blue button-down shirt holds a cup of coffee in her hands as she reads a book sitting on a bed with a tan and white striped bedspread with blue flowers

Woman Sitting on Bed with a Cup of Coffee and Reading a Book by Nenad Stojkovic is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Flickr.

—

As is her wont, she enjoys a cup of coffee as she reads.

Part of Grammar:

Noun; Verb, intransitive & transitive

Plural for the noun: wants
Gerund: wanting

Third person present verb: wants
Past tense or past participle: wanted
Present participle: wanting

Contraction for will not

Verb, modal

Third person present verb: will not
Past tense or past participle: would not (wouldn’t)
~~Present participle~~

Adjective; Noun; Verb, intransitive & transitive

Gerund: wonting

Third person present verb: wonts, wont
Past tense or past participle: wonted
Present participle: wonting

Noun:
A lack or deficiency of something

The state of being poor and in need of essentials
Poverty

A desire for something

Verb, intransitive:
Have a desire to possess or do (something)

Wish for
[Mainly North American; informal; want in/into/out/away] Desire to be in or out of a particular place or situation

[With infinitive; informal] Ought, should, or need to do something

[With present participle; mainly British; of a thing] Require to be attended to in a specified way

[Literary] Lack or be short of something desirable or essential

Verb, transitive:
Have a desire to possess or do (something)

Wish for
Wish to consult or speak to (someone)
[Usually be wanted of the police] Desire to question or apprehend (a suspected criminal)
Desire (someone) sexually

[With infinitive; informal] Ought, should, or need to do something

[With present participle; mainly British; of a thing] Require to be attended to in a specified way

[Archaic; chiefly used in expressions of time] Be short of or lack (a specified amount or thing)

Expressing the negative in a future action

Expressing the future tense

Expressing a strong intention or assertion about the future

Expressing inevitable events

Expressing a request

Expressing desire, consent, or willingness

Expressing facts about ability or capacity

Expressing habitual behavior

[When pronounced, will is stressed] Indicating annoyance about the habitual behavior described

Expressing probability or expectation about something in the present

Habitual custom

Adjective:
[With infinitive; literary; of a person] In the habit of doing something

Accustomed

Noun:
[Formal; humorous; one’s wont] One’s customary behavior in a particular situation

Practice

Habit

Verb, intransitive:
To be in the habit of doing something

Verb, transitive:
Make, be, or become accustomed to

To accustom (a person), as to a thing

[Usually used passively] To render (a thing) customary or usual

Examples:

Noun:
There are so many Victorian houses which are in want of repair.

For want of a better location we ate our picnic lunch in the cemetery.

I can tell ya it won’t be through want of trying.

True wealth is a freedom from want.

Oh my word . . . that house truly is the expression of their wants and desires, isn’t it?

Verb, intransitive:
I’ll give you a lift into town if you want.

If anyone wants out, there’s the door.

You shall want for nothing while you are with me.

Verb, transitive:
I want an apple.

We want to go to the beach.

She wanted me to go to her room.

Tony wants me in the studio.

He is wanted by the police in connection with an arms theft.

I’ve wanted you since the first moment I saw you.

You don’t want to believe everything you hear.

The wheel wants greasing.

It wanted twenty minutes to midnight.

It wants a few minutes of five o’clock.

You won’t regret it when you are older.

Sam won’t be doing any work this afternoon.

Come what may, he won’t succeed.

If we set up these safety procedures, accidents won’t happen.

Won’t you stop here, please.

Won’t you have a cognac?

That broken glass won’t hold water.

Your tank won’t hold 26 gallons.

She won’t wake up for hours.

He won’t be intruding anymore.

They won’t be anywhere near by now.

I had hoped you wouldn’t do that.

Adjective:
He was wont to arise at 5:30 every morning.

She was wont to walk along the beach at sunset.

He was wont to come early.

Noun:
Constance, as was her wont, had paid her little attention.

It was her wont to walk three miles before breakfast.

As is his wont, he enjoys a glass of scotch when he comes home of an evening.

Verb, intransitive:
Sons wont to nurse their parents in old age.

Back in the day, college girls were wont to find a husband.

He was wont to rise early.

Verb, transitive:
Wont thy heart to thoughts hereof.

That summer wonted me to a lifetime of early rising.

“She was wont to mention the length of Rebecca’s hair and add a word as to its remarkable evenness and lustre” (Wiggin).

Derivatives:

Noun: wanter

Adjective: wontless

History of the Word:

Middle English with the noun from the Old Norse vant, neuter of vanr meaning lacking; the verb from the Old Norse vanta meaning be lacking.

The original notion of lack was early extended to need and from this developed the sense desire.

Old English wyllan is of Germanic origin and related to the Dutch willen and the German wollen, from an Indo-European root shared by the Latin velle meaning will, wish.

1562 is the first known use of won’t from wonnot.

Old English gewunod is a past participle of wunian, meaning dwell, be accustomed and of Germanic origin.

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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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