# expense

> English word · Noun · IPA /ɪkˈspɛns/ · frequency rank #4,855

## Definitions
1. A spending or consuming, often a disbursement of funds.
2. The elimination or consumption of something, sometimes with the notion of loss or damage to the thing eliminated.
3. Loss.

## Etymology
From Middle English expense, from Anglo-Norman expense and Old French espense, from Late Latin expēnsa, from Latin expendō. See expend. Doublet of speso.

## Easily confused with
- **exposé** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/expense-vs-expose)
- **expenses** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/expense-vs-expenses)
- **expensive** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/expense-vs-expensive)
- **expend** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/expend-vs-expense)
- **expanse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/expanse-vs-expense)

## Common misspellings (9)
`epxense`, `exepnse`, `expenes`, `expennse`, `expesne`, `expnese`, `exppense`, `exxpense`, `xepense`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/expense