wanting

/ˈwɑntɪŋ/

//ˈwɑntɪŋ// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"wanting" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“wanting” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,098. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,098
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - That wants or desires.

Corpus desk

Index EN-wanting · wanting · English

wanting · rank #3,098 · 11 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,098
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH visitors

Nearest frequency peer: visitors (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “wanting”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “wanting” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

wanting vs waving
71% similar
wanting vs waxing
71% similar
wanting vs wanton
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for wanting
PropertyValue
Headwordwanting
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈwɑntɪŋ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#3,098
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “wanting”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).wantinglands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “visitors” (#3,097), “auto” (#3,099), “vast” (#3,096). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “wanting” is #3,098. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around wanting (IPA /ˈwɑntɪŋ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #3,098 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for wanting, with forms such as "awnting", "wanitng", and "wannting". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "waving", "waxing", "wanton", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English wantyng, wantynge, wantand, equivalent to want + -ing. The correct English form is wanting, spelled W-A-N-T-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    That wants or desires.
  2. 2
    Absent or lacking.
  3. 3
    Deficient.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how wanting appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Already Cæſar Has ravaged more than half the Globe, and ſees Mankind grown thin by his deſtructive Sword: Should he go further, Numbers would be wanting To form new Battels, and ſupport his Crimes.
  2. […] but where other powers of entertainment are wanting, the true philosopher will derive benefit from such as are given.

Etymology

From Middle English wantyng, wantynge, wantand, equivalent to want + -ing.

This word in other languages

deficiente(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • awnting
  • wanitng
  • wannting
  • wantign
  • wantingg
  • wantinng
  • wantnig
  • wantting
  • watning
  • wnating
  • wwanting

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of wanting - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

awnting2wanitng2wannting1wantign2wantingg1wantinng1wantnig2wantting1
Edit distance from "wanting"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "wanting"?
"wanting" is spelled W-A-N-T-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɑntɪŋ/.
What does "wanting" mean?
As an adjective, "wanting" means: That wants or desires.
What words are commonly confused with "wanting"?
"wanting" is commonly confused with "waving", "waxing", "wanton". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "wanting"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wanting" is /ˈwɑntɪŋ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "wanting"?
From Middle English wantyng, wantynge, wantand, equivalent to want + -ing. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "wanting", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Toronto#3,094heading#3,107studied#3,089speaker#3,088

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Olympic11 variantsobtained11 variantsmonster11 variantsinitially11 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list