Wonder and wander are spelled differently, but they’re two different words with two completely different definitions. They also don’t sound exactly alike. So, what’s the difference between the two? We’ll answer that in this article, plus teach you how to use both correctly in a sentence.
The short answer is:
As we just learned, the difference between ‘wonder’ and ‘wander’ is that the former means to think, question, or ponder. The latter means ‘to walk aimlessly, move, travel, or go astray.’
Let’s get a bit clearer on how to use each verb correctly before we go any further.
Use ‘wander’ when you’re talking about moving about aimlessly.
However, you should use ‘wonder’ when you’re talking about the act of thinking or pondering something.
According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of ‘wonder’ is marvel or miracle. It also means a feeling of doubt or uncertainty. It might also refer to attention or awe at something new or mysterious.
The same dictionary defines ‘wander’ as 'to move around without an aim or goal, ramble, stray (physically or in thought),' and 'to roam over.'
Synonyms of the word include:
Wondering how to pronounce these words? Here’s a short guide.
Now that you know what it means and how to pronounce it, let’s take a look at some examples of how to use ‘wonder’ in a sentence.
Now, let’s see some examples of ‘wander’ in a sentence.
To recap, we learned that while ‘wonder’ and ‘wander’ sound similar (but not quite the same), they mean two different things. We learned that ‘wonder’ means to think or ponder and ‘wander’ means to ‘walk aimlessly.’ Therefore, these words should never be used interchangeably.
If you ever get stuck or need help with another word, you can always come back and browse our library of articles dedicated to explaining confusing words and phrases in the English language.
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