Which to use
“want” is a verb and “what” is a determiner - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #96
- “want” frequency rank
- #46
- “what” frequency rank
- 142
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | want | what |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To wish for or desire (something); to feel a need or desire for; to crave, hanker, or demand. | Which, especially which of an open-ended set of possibilities. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set want and what apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: want is /wɒnt/ while what is /wɒt/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs determiner), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 142, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
want is recorded at frequency rank #96, classified as averb, pronounced /wɒnt/. what is at rank #46, tagged as adet, pronounced /wɒt/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 142, this pair ranks #529,820 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of want vs what
Shared letters: atw. Private to "want": n. Private to "what": h.
"want" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "what" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "want" and "what" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "want" or "what"?
Remembering want vs what
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “want”; for a determiner, it's “what”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “want” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable