Want or Wants? What’s the Difference?

“To Want” is a verb that means to desire or to wish for something. It is often used in the present tense, as in “I want a sandwich for lunch.” It can also be used in the past tense, as in “I wanted to go to the park yesterday but it was raining.”

Wants

“Wants” is the third person singular form of the verb “want,” used when the subject of the sentence is a person or thing that is not being spoken to directly. For example, “She wants a new car,” or “The dog wants to go for a walk.”

Want

We often use “want” in the plural form, as in “My friends all want to go to the concert together,” or “The children want to play outside.” In these examples, the subject of the sentence (my friends, the children) is plural, so we use the plural form of the verb “want.”

Want as a noun

Yes, “want” can be used as a noun. In this context, it means a lack or a need for something. For example, you could say “There is a want for more affordable housing in this city,” or “His want for attention was evident in the way he constantly sought validation from others.”

As a noun, “want” can also refer to a desire or wish for something. For example, “Her want for adventure led her to quit her job and travel the world,” or “His want to make a difference in the world motivated him to become a teacher.”

To make a noun plural, we add an “s”. So if someone has many desires, then we will use “wants”. “His wants are many”.

It is important to note that “want” as a noun isn’t very common and most people would use “need” or “needs” in this situation.

Conclusion

We generally use “want”with the pronouns I, you, we and they. We use “wants” with he, she and it.


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