Will vs. Going To — What's the Difference?

"Will" indicates a future action or occurrence.

"Going To" predicts a future event based on current evidence.

"Will" is used to express spontaneous decisions.

"Going To" signifies a future plan.

"Will" denotes a promise or commitment.

"Going To" often reflects an intention or resolution.

The mental faculty by which one deliberately chooses or decides upon a course of action

"Going To" can imply inevitability.

Diligent purposefulness; determination

"Going To" represents a decision made before the moment of speaking.

Self-control; self-discipline

(countable) Promised future actions or achievements.

A desire, purpose, or determination, especially of one in authority

Deliberate intention or wish

Free discretion; inclination or pleasure

Bearing or attitude toward others; disposition

A legal declaration of how a person wishes their personal possessions to be disposed of after death.

A legally executed document containing this declaration.

To decide on or intend

To yearn for; desire

To decree, dictate, or order

To induce or try to induce by sheer force of will

To grant in a legal will; bequeath

To order to direct in a legal will

To exercise the will.

To make a choice; choose

To wish; desire

(auxiliary) Used to express the future tense, sometimes with some implication of volition when used in the first person. Compare shall.

(auxiliary) To be able to, to have the capacity to.

(auxiliary) Expressing a present tense with some conditional or subjective weakening: "will turn out to", "must by inference".

(auxiliary) To habitually do (a given action).

(auxiliary) To choose or agree to (do something); used to express intention but without any temporal connotations (+ bare infinitive), often in questions and negation.

To wish, desire (something).

To wish or desire (that something happen); to intend (that).

(archaic) Implying will go.

To instruct (that something be done) in one's will.

(transitive) To bequeath (something) to someone in one's will (legal document).

(transitive) To exert one's force of will (intention) in order to compel, or attempt to compel, something to happen or someone to do something.

One's independent faculty of choice; the ability to be able to exercise one's choice or intention.

The act of choosing to do something; a person’s conscious intent or volition.

One's intention or decision; someone's orders or commands.

Firmity of purpose, fixity of intent

(law) A formal declaration of one's intent concerning the disposal of one's property and holdings after death; the legal document stating such wishes.

(archaic) That which is desired; one's wish.

(archaic) Desire, longing. (Now generally merged with later senses.)

The power of choosing; the faculty or endowment of the soul by which it is capable of choosing; the faculty or power of the mind by which we decide to do or not to do; the power or faculty of preferring or selecting one of two or more objects.

The choice which is made; a determination or preference which results from the act or exercise of the power of choice; a volition.

The choice or determination of one who has authority; a decree; a command; discretionary pleasure.

Strong wish or inclination; desire; purpose.

That which is strongly wished or desired.

Arbitrary disposal; power to control, dispose, or determine.

The legal declaration of a person's mind as to the manner in which he would have his property or estate disposed of after his death; the written instrument, legally executed, by which a man makes disposition of his estate, to take effect after his death; testament; devise. See the Note under Testament, 1.

To wish; to desire; to incline to have.

As an auxiliary, will is used to denote futurity dependent on the verb. Thus, in first person, "I will" denotes willingness, consent, promise; and when "will" is emphasized, it denotes determination or fixed purpose; as, I will go if you wish; I will go at all hazards. In the second and third persons, the idea of distinct volition, wish, or purpose is evanescent, and simple certainty is appropriately expressed; as, "You will go," or "He will go," describes a future event as a fact only. To emphasize will denotes (according to the tone or context) certain futurity or fixed determination.

To be willing; to be inclined or disposed; to be pleased; to wish; to desire.

To form a distinct volition of; to determine by an act of choice; to ordain; to decree.

To enjoin or command, as that which is determined by an act of volition; to direct; to order.

To give or direct the disposal of by testament; to bequeath; to devise; as, to will one's estate to a child; also, to order or direct by testament; as, he willed that his nephew should have his watch.

To exercise an act of volition; to choose; to decide; to determine; to decree.

The capability of conscious choice and decision and intention;

A fixed and persistent intent or purpose;

A legal document declaring a person's wishes regarding the disposal of their property when they die

Decree or ordain;

Have in mind;

Determine by choice;

Leave or give by will after one's death;

"Will" conveys future predictions.

"Will" is employed to offer assistance.

Yes, "Will" is typically used for decisions made at the moment of speaking.

While they often overlap, especially in informal speech, each has distinct nuances based on spontaneity, evidence, and planning.

Yes, "Going To" often reflects a person's intention or resolution for the future.

"Going To" often denotes planned future actions or events viewed as inevitable based on current evidence.

No, "Will" can predict future events without current evidence, like "I think it will be sunny."

Predictions with "Going To" often rely on present evidence, like "It's going to rain because the sky is cloudy."

"Will" primarily suggests future intentions, predictions, or spontaneous decisions.

"Going To" requires the verb "to be" followed by "going to" and another verb, e.g., "She is going to travel."

Use "will not" or the contraction "won't."

"Going To" is common in both formal and informal settings, but it's more prevalent in casual conversations.

"Will" can be paired with various verbs and used in diverse contexts, making it slightly more versatile than "Going To."

Combine "not" with the "to be" verb, e.g., "She's not going to come."

Primarily, yes, but it can also express desires, requests, or commands, like "Will you open the window?"

Yes, both phrases primarily address future events or actions, but with different nuances.

"Going To" is typically used for plans perceived as certain or already decided.