Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

spence

/ˈspɛns/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.35 in modern English

Syllables: spence
IPA: /ˈspɛns/

10

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

1

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

name

Short form of the male given name Spencer.

Countable; Uncountable

name

Countable; Uncountable

name

A suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.

Countable; Uncountable

name

A locality in the Limestone Coast region of South Australia.

Countable; Uncountable

name

A ghost town in Magnetawan township, Parry Sound District, Ontario, Canada.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A buttery or pantry.

British usage; Dated

Example Sentences

"'I expect it was a dog which got into the spence and licked up the junket and ate the biscuits,' put in the old turf-cutter. 'I would lock and bar the spence-door, if I were you, the next time I put such nice things in there.'"

Etymology

From Middle English spence, spense, borrowed from Middle French despense, from Medieval Latin dīspēnsa, noun use of feminine of Latin dīspēnsus, past participle of dīspendere (“weigh out”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: spence, despense, dīspēnsa, dīspēnsus

Usage

Inflected Forms

Spences (plural) spense (alternative)

Derived Forms

Spencean

Phrases

Spences Bridge

Frequently Paired Words

spencer

Rhymes With

sense defense self-defense defence self-defence intense hence offense expense fence dense tense

Questions

How do you pronounce spence?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈspɛns/.
What does spence mean?: Short form of the male given name Spencer.
Where does spence come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce spence

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “spence”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈspɛns/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “spence”.
Repeat and practice — Say “spence” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.