wanting
/ˈwɑntɪŋ/adjective, preposition, noun, verb
wanting is spelled W-A-N-T-I-N-G: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 31 times per million words in written English, the 3,052nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, wanting means “That wants or desires” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in wanting?
| Letters | 7: W-A-N-T-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 31 times per million words; the 3,052nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is wanting?
Wanting appears 31 times per million words in written English, the 3,052nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce wanting?
- US /ˈwɑntɪŋ/
- UK /ˈwɒntɪŋ/
Wanting has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-wanting.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of wanting
- more wanting comparative
- most wanting superlative
- wantings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does wanting mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
That wants or desires.
- 2
Absent or lacking.
- 3
Deficient.
preposition
- 1
Without, except, but.
- 2
Less, short of, minus.
noun
- 1
The state of wanting something; desire.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of want
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Wanting in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense absent or lacking:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Portuguese | deficiente, desprovido, faltante |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does wanting come from?
From Middle English wantyng, wantynge, wantand, equivalent to want + -ing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).