# "gonna" and "wanna": How acceptable in English usage? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 2, 2005, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gonna-and-wanna-how-acceptable-in-english-usage/310860 "2005-07-02T20:20:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gonna-and-wanna-how-acceptable-in-english-usage/310860/21 "2005-07-03T21:33:05Z")
> [@Verminary](#): > > Am I the only person who says “gonna wanna,” as in “You’re gonna wanna go to the store later”? > > Now that I’ve written it down, I keep telling myself it looks more ludicrous than it sounds. I use that a lot. Sometimes my brain moves faster than my mouth, so it gets switched around and I say, “You’re wanna gonna—”. Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2005, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gonna-and-wanna-how-acceptable-in-english-usage/310860/22 "2005-07-03T21:48:30Z")
> [@Verminary](#): > > Am I the only person who says “gonna wanna,” as in “You’re gonna wanna go to the store later”? Yeah, I do something like that, but it’s an origianal localism…_Yerr g’in wan’ster layter?_, or something to that effect. Something I’ve become aware of, however, is that ‘I dunno’ seems to be a problem for people lipreading. Any dopers able to provide experience of this from the other side? ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2005, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gonna-and-wanna-how-acceptable-in-english-usage/310860/23 "2005-07-04T00:16:10Z")
_ **I WANT TO ROCK!!!** _ Nope, doesn’t really work. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2005, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gonna-and-wanna-how-acceptable-in-english-usage/310860/24 "2005-07-04T00:27:26Z")
“I’m kinda fonda Wanda, 'cause Wanda always wanna, wanna, wanna.” --Niel Young, in _Kinda Fonda Wanda_ I use these compressed words a lot, but in print I usually spell out the original words. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2005, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gonna-and-wanna-how-acceptable-in-english-usage/310860/25 "2005-07-04T01:29:24Z")
Do other people find themselves using it’s instead of its in conversation or is that just me? ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2005, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gonna-and-wanna-how-acceptable-in-english-usage/310860/26 "2005-07-04T15:18:20Z")
Um, “it’s” and “its” are homophones. How would you tell which you are using in conversation? In text-based media? Never. _prim_ ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2005, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gonna-and-wanna-how-acceptable-in-english-usage/310860/27 "2005-07-04T15:44:28Z")
Lemme 'splain it to ya this way … “its” is pronounced, well, “its”, but 'round here, some folks pronounce “it’s” as “its’s”. GAAAH!!! Run away, Run away, English is doomed !!! ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2005, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gonna-and-wanna-how-acceptable-in-english-usage/310860/28 "2005-07-04T16:37:52Z")
How about “Finna”? I’m finna go post on this msgboard… ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2005, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gonna-and-wanna-how-acceptable-in-english-usage/310860/29 "2005-07-04T16:56:23Z")
I use **gonna** and **wanna** frequently in speech and in written pieces, depending on my potential audience. I also use two words which I am convinced I made up, although I cannot prove I coined them: **prolly** for “probably” and **dropt** for “dropped”. I have never been criticized either in real life or on the internet for using any of those four words… but as I said, I take some time to reflect on the audience I seek to reach, and if I find them inappropriate I’m prolly not gonna wanna use 'em and they’ll get dropt from the piece. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2005, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gonna-and-wanna-how-acceptable-in-english-usage/310860/30 "2005-07-04T18:24:56Z")
In writing, never, save when quoting someone else; in speech, vanishingly rarely. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2005, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gonna-and-wanna-how-acceptable-in-english-usage/310860/31 "2005-07-04T18:29:44Z")
Never in writing, unless it’s deliberate (for a character speaking in fiction, for example); in normal speech, a bit. Then again, I _am_ one of those Grammar Nazi people… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gonna-and-wanna-how-acceptable-in-english-usage/310860/32 "2005-07-05T00:18:30Z")
> [@Little Nemo](#): > > That latter example should have been “I’m gonna the store”. I would say, “I’m gonna go to the store.” ---
**Author:** ![RFBluesValentine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@RFBluesValentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RFBluesValentine)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gonna-and-wanna-how-acceptable-in-english-usage/310860/33 "2005-07-05T03:27:47Z")
I talk pretty quickly, so they’re pretty much verbal contractions for me. If I’m writing, being formal-ish, or talking to someone who’s not so fluent in English, I have to make an effort to slow down and enunciate. …Have to say, I never knew there /was/ another way to pronounce “dropped.” And here I always thought I didn’t have an accent. :\> ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2005, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gonna-and-wanna-how-acceptable-in-english-usage/310860/34 "2005-07-05T03:43:10Z")
> [@](#): > > Um, “it’s” and “its” are homophones. How would you tell which you are using in conversation? I’m never gonna make grammer jokes around you again. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gonna-and-wanna-how-acceptable-in-english-usage/310860.md?page=1)