*Sence or Sense? | Meaning, Definition & Spelling
Sense is a verb meaning ‘feel’ and a noun meaning ‘good judgement’, ‘awareness’, ‘vague impression’, and ‘particular meaning’. It can also be used to refer to one of the five sensory faculties (i.e., sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing).
People sometimes mistakenly write ‘sence’ instead of sense, but it’s wrong and should be avoided. While some words with a similar pronunciation are spelled with a ‘c’ (e.g., ‘fence’), others are always spelled with an ‘s’ (e.g., ‘tense’); sense belongs to the latter group.
- I can sence that something is wrong.
- I can sense that something is wrong.
- Paul has no common sence.
- Paul has no common sense.
Make(s) sense
Make(s) sense is an expression used to say that something is logical or reasonable. A quantifier (e.g., ‘a lot of’) can be placed between the words to emphasise or qualify the statement. ‘Make(s) sence’ (with a ‘c’) is never correct.
The author’s argument makes very little sense to me.
These instructions don’t make sense.
Make sense of
Make sense of is an expression meaning ‘understand’. It functions as a transitive verb with the direct object being the thing that is understood. Again, ‘make sence of’ is never the correct spelling.
I can’t make any sense of the court’s judgment!
More uses of sense
Sense is also used in a range of expressions. In all cases, it should be spelled sense, not ‘sence’.
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Joseline has a lot of common sense. | Good judgement |
| Una has good fashion sense. | Understanding of how to dress well |
| In a sense, you are correct. | From one point of view |
| Two weeks of detention ought to knock some sense into you. | Force someone to think or act reasonably |
| Eventually, you’ll see sense. | Stop behaving foolishly |
| Liz has a morbid sense of humour. | Ability to appreciate things that are funny |
| Sandra felt a strong sense of achievement when she passed her exams. | Feeling of accomplishment |
| I went to Tony’s piano recital out of a sense of obligation. | Feeling of responsibility |
| Please talk sense! | Speak in a logical or reasonable way |
Other interesting language articles
If you want to know more about commonly confused words, definitions, common mistakes, and differences between US and UK spellings, make sure to check out some of our other language articles with explanations, examples, and quizzes.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a synonym for ‘make sense’?
-
Some synonyms and near synonyms for make sense include:
- Be clear
- Cohere
- Be consistent
- Be understandable
- What is a synonym for ‘make sense of’?
-
Some synonyms and near synonyms for make sense of include:
- Comprehend
- Fathom
- Figure out
- Follow
- Grasp
- Understand
Cite this Scribbr article
If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.
Ryan, E. (2023, March 14). *Sence or Sense? | Meaning, Definition & Spelling. Scribbr. Retrieved 22 April 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/common-errors/sense-or-sence/
