Want means to desire or lack something: "I want a coffee." Wont, rhyming with don't, means a person's customary habit: "He arrived late, as was his wont." Almost every stray "wont" you see online, though, is neither — it is <em>won't</em> with the apostrophe missing.
Three words, not two
This pair only makes sense once the third member is on the table.
- Want — verb, to desire; noun, a lack ("for want of a better word").
- Wont — noun, habitual practice; adjective, accustomed ("he is wont to interrupt").
- Won't — contraction of will not.
Won't rhymes with don't, and so does wont for most speakers. But wont is also commonly said to rhyme with want, especially in American English, and dictionaries record both pronunciations — so for a good many readers want and wont really are homophones. That is part of why the two get written interchangeably.
How wont is actually used
Be realistic about this word: it is rare, literary in flavour, and most readers meet it in one fixed phrase, "as is his wont" or "as was her wont". It is not archaic — it turns up in book reviews, obituaries and sports writing — but it always reads as a deliberate register choice.
- "She left before the speeches, as was her wont."
- "He is wont to answer emails at three in the morning."
The adjective use ("wont to do something") is rarer still and sounds noticeably old-fashioned. If you are not going for that effect, tends to or usually does the job with no cost.
The test
Substitute usual habit. "As was her usual habit" works, so wont is right. Substitute desire: if that works, you need want. And substitute will not: if that works, you have simply dropped an apostrophe and need won't.
The memory trick
Wont and won't share the o and the sound — and both are about what someone reliably does or does not do. Want has an a, like appetite.
The mistake that matters
The apostrophe is the real issue. "I wont be there" is one of the most frequent contraction errors in English, and because wont is a genuine word, no spellchecker will flag it. Nor will it flag "he wont to leave early", which is missing an is.
A quick way to catch it while proofreading: read every wont aloud as "will not". If the sentence still makes sense, put the apostrophe back. If it collapses, check whether you meant want or the habit word.
Wont as a plain noun
Outside the fixed phrase, wont can stand alone: "it was his wont to walk before breakfast". This construction is now uncommon enough that some readers will stumble on it. There is nothing wrong with it — just know that you are choosing a flourish, not a neutral word.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it 'I wont' or 'I won't'?
"I won't" — it is short for "I will not" and needs the apostrophe. "I wont" without one is a different word meaning habit, and it will not fit that sentence, but no spellchecker will catch it for you.
What does 'as was his wont' mean?
As was his habit, or as he usually did. It is a set phrase and by far the commonest place the word wont appears. "He took the long way home, as was his wont."
How is 'wont' pronounced?
Most commonly to rhyme with "don't", identical to won't. Some speakers say it to rhyme with "want", which is one reason the two get written interchangeably. Either pronunciation is recorded, but the don't rhyme is standard.