dependence
/dɪˈpɛndəns/noun
dependence is spelled D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-C-E: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 4.6 times per million words in written English, the 11,870th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, dependence means “The state of being dependent, of relying upon another” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of dependence is dependences.
How many letters and syllables are in dependence?
| Letters | 10: D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-C-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 4.6 times per million words; the 11,870th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is dependence?
Dependence appears 4.6 times per million words in written English, the 11,870th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce dependence?
- UK /dɪˈpɛndəns/
Dependence has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-dependence.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of dependence
- dependences plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does dependence mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The state of being dependent, of relying upon another.
He had a deep dependence on her for guidance.
- 2
An irresistible physical or psychological need, especially for a chemical substance.
Her dependence on cocaine led to her ruin.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Dependence in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | dépendance |
| German | Abhängigkeit |
| Portuguese | dependência , vício |
| Spanish | dependencia |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does dependence come from?
From Middle French dépendance. Morphologically depend + -ence.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).