Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

whence

/ʍɛns/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.10 in modern English

Syllables: whence
IPA: /ʍɛns/

14

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

1

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

adv

From where; from which place or source.

Archaic; Formal; Literary

conj

Used for introducing the result of a fact that has just been stated; thence

Literary

Example Sentences

"Whence came I?"
""Pork" comes from French, whence we get most of our modern cooking terms."
"Go to whence you came!"
"That envy whence comes hate."
"Ieſus anſwered, and ſaid vnto them, Though I beare record of my ſelfe, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I goe: but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I goe."
"I could plainly diſcover from whence one Family derives a long Chin; why a ſecond hath abounded with Knaves for two Generations, and Fools for two more; why a third happened to be crack-brained, and a fourth to be Sharpers."

Etymology

From Middle English whennes, from Old English hwanon (with adverbial genitive -s), related to hwonne (whence when). Analyzable as when + -s.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: *kʷ-, whennes, hwanon
Suffix: when

Usage

Derived Forms

anywhence elsewhence everywhence nowhence somewhence whenceafter whenceforth whenceforward whencefrom whencesoever whencever

Frequently Paired Words

hence thence

Antonyms

whither

Rhymes With

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

Questions

How do you pronounce whence?: The recorded pronunciation is /ʍɛns/.
What does whence mean?: From where; from which place or source.
Where does whence come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce whence

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “whence”.
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