wander and wanker differ by a single letter, buried far enough into the word to be easy to miss. wander means “move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment”. wanker means “terms of abuse for a masturbator”. wander is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈwɑndɚ/
1.v.move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
“The gypsies roamed the woods”
2.v.be sexually unfaithful to one's partner in marriage
“She cheats on her husband”
3.v.go via an indirect route or at no set pace
“After dinner, we wandered into town”
/ˈwɑŋkɚ/
1.n.terms of abuse for a masturbator
| wander | wanker | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈwɑndɚ/ | /ˈwɑŋkɚ/ |
| Said | WAHN-dur | WAHNG-kur |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Letters | 6 | 6 |
| Parts of speech | verb | noun |
| Senses | 5 | 1 |
| How common | Common | Familiar |
| Synonyms | roll, swan, stray | tosser, jerk-off |
Full entry for wander · Full entry for wanker · More comparisons