Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

wannabe

/ˈwɒnəbi/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.26 in modern English

Syllables: wannabe
IPA: /ˈwɒnəbi/

12

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

3

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Someone who wishes to be someone or do something, but lacks the qualifications or talent; an overeager amateur; an aspirant.

Derogatory; Informal

noun

Someone who wishes to be part of, or to assimilate to, a majority group of which they are not a member.

Derogatory; Informal

Example Sentences

"Hollywood's restaurants are full of wannabe actors waiting to be discovered."
"Most of the people Hiro knows are will-bes or wannabes."
"Who the hell is that woman messing in my files? GET HER OUT OF HERE! I won't have my system messed up by some wannabe "expert" who'll be gone next week! Damn strangers who think they know it all but don't care about what we're really trying to achieve here."
"He had the reputation of a wannabe hardman, riding his cousin's coattails."
"Bigger, mongrelly and black, he was clearly a Doberman wannabe."

Etymology

Written form of a reduction of want to be, analyzable as wanna + be. Wannabe can be considered a conversion, category change, or functional shift. While occasionally appearing in print, usually as a less reduced phrase, the popularity of the word took off in the mid-1980s following the Madonna wannabe fashion trend: “wannabe”, in Google Books Ngram Viewer.

Usage

Inflected Forms

wannabes (plural) wanna-be (alternative) wannabee (alternative) want-to-be (alternative)

Derived Forms

Madonnabe wanksta wankster wannabeism wannarexia wannarexic wannime wapanese

Phrases

has-been never-was -to-be would-be

Frequently Paired Words

gonnabe has-been never-was -to-be would-be bootlicker poseur sellout

Synonyms

tryhard aspirant aspirer hopeful wannabee

Rhymes With

wannabee

Questions

How do you pronounce wannabe?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈwɒnəbi/.
What does wannabe mean?: Someone who wishes to be someone or do something, but lacks the qualifications or talent; an overeager amateur; an aspirant.
Where does wannabe come from?: Written form of a reduction of want to be, analyzable as wanna + be. Wannabe can be considered a conversion, category change, or functional shift. While occasionally appearing in print, usually as a less reduced phrase, the popularity of the word took off in the mid-1980s following the Madonna wannabe fashion trend: “wannabe”, in Google Books Ngram Viewer.

How to pronounce wannabe

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “wannabe”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈwɒnəbi/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “wannabe”.
Repeat and practice — Say “wannabe” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.