licence

[ˈlaɪs(ə)ns]

/[ˈlaɪs(ə)ns]/ noun

The verdict

“licence” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - ein offizielles Dokument einer Erlaubnis

Corpus desk

Index DE-licence · licence · German

licence · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "L" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for licence
PropertyValue
Headwordlicence
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈlaɪs(ə)ns]
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „licence“ im Deutschen

licenceschafft es nicht in die Top 100.000 des Deutschen: Zone für Fach-, Alt- oder Seltenwortschatz.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

licence is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed [ˈlaɪs(ə)ns]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for licence, a sign its spelling follows regular German conventions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is licence, spelled L-I-C-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    ein offizielles Dokument einer Erlaubnis
  2. 2
    die Erlaubnis oder Freiheit, nach eigenem Ermessen zu handeln

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how licence appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. They were stopped and asked for their licences.
  2. They allow their children little licence.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "licence"?
"licence" is spelled L-I-C-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈlaɪs(ə)ns].
What does "licence" mean?
As a noun, "licence" means: ein offizielles Dokument einer Erlaubnis
How do you pronounce "licence"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "licence" is [ˈlaɪs(ə)ns]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "licence" come from?
"licence" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list