Words with the Suffixes -ance and -ence

Words with the Suffixes -ance and -ence Words with the Suffixes -ance and -ence Words with the Suffixes -ance and -ence By Maeve Maddox One of our readers asks if there is a rule for knowing when to write ence and when to write ance at the ends of words such as: affluence, eloquence, essence, influence, insurgence and ambulance, clairvoyance, finance, ignorance, nuisance In a priority list for English spelling reform, the spellings ence and ance, ent and ant, surely deserve a place near the top. Both ance and ence derive ultimately from Latin endings spelled entia and antia. Before the Sixteenth Century when English scholars busied themselves trying to make English spelling and grammar conform to the logic of Latin, some words that had already entered the language spelled with -ance were altered to ence. NOTE: The silent b came into the word debt at this time. In Middle English the word was usually spelled det or dette, rarely debte. The reforming scholars decided that since the word came from Latin debitum, it needed the b. As for knowing when to write -ence and when to write -ance, I believe that this is a case in which observation and practice offer the best solution. A spell checker can also help. A website called Everything2 formulates several rules for the ence/-ance, -ent/-ant spellings, but the multiplicity of rules and exceptions would seem to demand more mental exertion than simply memorizing the words one has trouble with. I was taught to attach what my teacher called a spelling pronunciation to words that do not sound the way they are spelled. For example, I have no trouble spelling chihuahua because I think /chI hoo-a hoo-a/. The same goes for words in ence and ance, ent and ant. I look at the word and emphasize the ending in my head: de fen DANT, prev a LENT. Do this often enough and the correct spelling will enter your long term memory. CAUTION: Some danger may attach to the use of mental spelling pronunciations: they may slip into your speech. Ive heard more than one TV lawyer pronounce /de fen dent/ as /de fen DANT/. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Mostly Small But Expressive InterjectionsTen Yiddish Expressions You Should KnowInspiring vs. Inspirational