wanton

/ˈwɒntən/

//ˈwɒntən// adj

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

"wanton" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“wanton” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #34,743. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#34,743
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Undisciplined, unruly; not able to be controlled.

Corpus desk

Index EN-wanton · wanton · English

wanton · rank #34,743 · 9 variants · 12 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #34,743
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 12 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH wedlock

Nearest frequency peer: wedlock (+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 “wanton”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “wanton” 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).

wanton vs wants
67% similar
wanton vs Watson
50% similar
wanton vs Weston
50% similar

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

Key facts for wanton
PropertyValue
Headwordwanton
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈwɒntən/
Letters6
Frequency rank#34,743
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “wanton”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).wantonlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “wedlock” (#34,744), “vamp” (#34,741), “welterweight” (#34,745). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “wanton” is #34,743. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around wanton (IPA /ˈwɒntən/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #34,743 among 1,759 “W” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for wanton, with forms such as "awnton", "wannton", and "wanotn". 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 12 confusable-pair relationships, "wants", "Watson", "Weston", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English wantoun, wantowen, wantoȝen, wantowe (“uneducated; unrestrained; licentious; sportive; playful”), from wan- (“not, un-, mis-”) + towen, i-towen (“educated”, literally “towed; led; drawn”), from Old English togen, ġetogen, past participle… The correct English form is wanton, spelled W-A-N-T-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Undisciplined, unruly; not able to be controlled.
  2. 2
    Playful, sportive; merry or carefree.
  3. 3
    Lewd, immoral; sexually open, unchaste.
  4. 4
    Capricious, reckless of morality, justice etc.; acting without regard for the law or the well-being of others; gratuitous.
  5. 5
    Extravagant, unrestrained, excessive.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. As Flies to wanton Boyes are we to th' Gods, / They kill us for their sport.
  2. 'Tis the cruel gripe, / That lean hard-handed poverty inflicts, / The hope of better things, the chance to win, / The wiſh to ſhine, the thirſt to be amus'd, / That at the found of Winter's hoary wing, / Unpeople all our counties, of ſuch herds, / Of flutt'ring, loit'ring, cringing, begging, looſe, / And wanton vagrants, as make London, vaſt / And boundle…

Etymology

From Middle English wantoun, wantowen, wantoȝen, wantowe (“uneducated; unrestrained; licentious; sportive; playful”), from wan- (“not, un-, mis-”) + towen, i-towen (“educated”, literally “towed; led; drawn”), from Old English togen, ġetogen, past participle of tēon (“to train, discipline”), equivalent to wan- + towed.

Synonyms

anarchicanarchicalbrattychaoticdifficultdionysiacdionysiandisciplinelessfractiousgovernlessgung hoindisciplinedirrepressiblelawlessloose-handedrampantrantipolestanchlessunbridleduncheckeduncontrolleduncontrollableundisciplinedungovernableungoverneduninhibitedunreinedunrestrainedunrulyuntowardunvanquishedout of controlout of jointwantonwild

Antonyms

apollonianconstraineddisciplinedinhibitedrepressiblerestrainedrulyunder controlorderly

This word in other languages

indisciplinado(Español)indiscipliné(Français)wild(Deutsch)indisciplinado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • awnton
  • wannton
  • wanotn
  • wantno
  • wantonn
  • wantton
  • watnon
  • wnaton
  • wwanton

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of wanton - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

awnton2wannton1wanotn2wantno2wantonn1wantton1watnon2wnaton2
Edit distance from "wanton"

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 "wanton"?
"wanton" is spelled W-A-N-T-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈwɒntən/.
What does "wanton" mean?
As an adjective, "wanton" means: Undisciplined, unruly; not able to be controlled.
What words are commonly confused with "wanton"?
"wanton" is commonly confused with "wants", "Watson", "Weston". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "wanton"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wanton" is /ˈwɒntən/. 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 "wanton"?
From Middle English wantoun, wantowen, wantoȝen, wantowe (“uneducated; unrestrained; licentious; sportive; playful”), from wan- (“not, un-, mis-”) + towen, i-towen (“educated”, literally “towed; led; drawn”), from Old English togen, ġetogen, past ... 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 "wanton", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

who're#34,747witted#34,749Yasmin#34,755tryout#34,730

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Unicode9 variantstingle9 variantstiling9 variantsAramaic9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list