Suffix · forms nouns
Turns a verb or adjective into the noun naming that state or quality: import becomes importance.
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
The suffixes -ance and -ence take a verb or adjective and create the abstract noun naming that state, quality or process. From "import" you get "importance"; from "differ" you get "difference"; from "exist" you get "existence". Both suffixes mean the same thing. The choice between them depends on the word's root and origin, not on meaning.
-ance/-ence almost always corresponds to -ancia/-encia in Spanish: importance = importancia difference = diferencia existence = existencia experience = experiencia science = ciencia If Spanish uses -ancia or -encia, try -ance or -ence in English. The hit rate is very high.
Honest answer: there is no perfect rule. But there is a reliable shortcut: look at the related adjective. If the adjective ends in -ant (important, significant), the noun uses -ance: importance, significance. If the adjective ends in -ent (different, confident), the noun uses -ence: difference, confidence. When unsure, the Spanish cognate (-ancia vs -encia) almost always gives you the answer.
Verb or root + ance/-ence. The suffix is chosen based on word origin.
Quick shortcut: if the related adjective ends in -ant (important, significant), the noun uses -ance. If it ends in -ent (different, confident), use -ence. Not 100% reliable, but correct most of the time.
-ance / -ence/əns/ · soft, unstressed 'unce'
Tap the button to hear how the ending sounds. Each word in the table has its own audio.
important → importance (uses -ance because the adjective ends in -ant).
different → difference (uses -ence because the adjective ends in -ent).
exist → existence (with -ence). The Spanish cognate "existencia" confirms -ence.
A trick to remember it
Use the Spanish cognate as your guide: -ancia in Spanish = -ance in English (importancia = importance). -encia in Spanish = -ence in English (diferencia = difference). Works almost every time.
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
What is the noun form of "different"?
Exercise 3 · Pick the right one
The best clue for choosing -ance vs -ence is...
The suffix -ance / -ence turns a verb or adjective into the noun naming that state or quality: import becomes importance. In Spanish it usually maps to -ancia / -encia.
The ending -ance / -ence is pronounced /əns/ · soft, unstressed 'unce'. For example, "importance".
"import" becomes "importance". It is a typical example of the -ance / -ence suffix.
-tion, -ness, -ful, -ly, -able... every ending you need to understand thousands of words at once.