Gotta, Gonna, Wanna

Gotta, gonna, and wanna are common informal words used in writing to represent rapid speech. Gotta means "got to," gonna means "going to," and wanna means "want to."

Here are some additional pronunciation spellings you may see or hear:

dunno = don't know

gotcha = got you

lemme = let me

gimme = give me

Here are examples of each in a sentence:

• I've gotta get home before dark.
• He's gonna be a chef when he grows up.
• I wanna eat lunch before we leave to run errands.
• "Where's Sam?" "I dunno."
• Don't worry about paying for your half of the pizza--I gotcha [=I'll pay for your half too].
• Hey, lemme see that book!
• Just gimme a minute--I'll come pick you up as soon as I'm done at work.

I hope this helps.

For more posts about words, idioms, grammar, and usage, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Don't forget to subscribe to our Word of the Day e-mails!

Click here to try one of our vocabulary quizzes before you go!