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wanna

contraction
WAH-nuh/ˈwɑ.nə/WON-uh/ˈwɒ.nə/

1 meaning of wanna

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  1. 1
    contractioncolloquialcontraction
    An informal written form of “want to” or “want a”, showing how the words run together in quick, casual speech.

    We wanna leave early to beat the traffic.

    If you wanna succeed in this business, you have to put in the hours.

    Note

    Older than it looks: this spelling of casual speech was already in print by 1824. Novelists reach for it in dialogue, as Emma Kennedy's Shoes for Anthony (2015) does with an offhand "Wanna look at the Germans, like?" It also has a grammatical limit. "Who do you wanna see?" contracts naturally, but "Who do you want to win?" resists, because an understood subject sits between want and to.

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Origin

A contraction of "want to," recorded in writing as early as 1824.

Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 1 fact