We study a weighted alternating direction implicit (ADI) numerical method with variable time steps for two-dimensional diffusion-wave equations. The variable-step Alikhanov formula is employed to approximate the fractional derivatives in an equivalent coupled equations which is generated by the symmetric fractional-order reduction (SFOR) method. By adding a weighted small external term, we obtain a weighted ADI scheme for the diffusion-wave equations. The unconditional stability and convergence are analyzed by energy method, and the optimal temporal convergence order is min{2,32α} , where 1 < α< 2 . The spatial compact scheme combined with the ADI method is also discussed. Numerical examples are provided to confirm the accuracy and efficiency of proposed schemes.