Wont vs. Won’t—What’s the Difference?

• Won’t is the correct way to contract will not.
• Wont is a type of behavior that is specific to a person. It’s also the wrong way to spell won’t.

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Sometimes, when you forget to use an apostrophe, you get a word that’s just a misspelling of the original. But with won’t and wont, you get a word with its own completely unrelated meaning.

What Does Won’t Mean?

When we say won’t, we are actually saying will not. The form with the apostrophe is a contraction, like “don’t” and “can’t.” We owe the “o” in won’t to a sixteenth-century form of the word: wonnot.

You won’t find a better farmers market in the city.

It looked like it was going to rain for a second, but now it looks like it won’t.

What Does Wont Mean?

Wont is usually used as a noun meaning “a type of behavior specific to a person,” or “a habit.” It can also be used as an adjective synonymous with “accustomed.”

He went for a morning jog, as was his wont.

He was wont to jog every morning.

Examples

There may be more Andromeda games on the way, too—though there won’t necessarily be a trilogy.

Gamespot

Although a new agreement between the RCMP and China aims to stop the flow of fentanyl into Canada, an expert says it won’t be easy.

CBC

The dialogue-free Past Forward, which runs almost 13 minutes, gives Russell a chance to do what is his wont: swing the camera wildly, work with as many actors as possible, and direct dance sequences.

A. V. Club

As is his wont these days, the 38-year-old kept producing witty one-liners the same way in which fours and sixes flew off his bat.

The Times of India