fence
/fɛns/noun, verb
fence is spelled F-E-N-C-E: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 16 times per million words in written English, the 5,025th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, fence means “A thin artificial barrier that separates two pieces of land or forms a perimeter enclosing the lands of a house, building, etc” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of fence is fences.
How many letters and syllables are in fence?
| Letters | 5: F-E-N-C-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 16 times per million words; the 5,025th 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 fence?
Fence appears 16 times per million words in written English, the 5,025th 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 fence?
- /fɛns/
- [fɛns]
- [fɛnts]
Fence has one syllable (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: En-us-fence.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of fence
- fences plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- fencing participle, present
- fenced participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fence mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A thin artificial barrier that separates two pieces of land or forms a perimeter enclosing the lands of a house, building, etc.
- 2
informalSomeone who hides or buys and sells stolen goods, a criminal middleman for transactions of stolen goods.
- 3
The place whence such a middleman operates.
- 4
Skill in oral debate.
- 5
obsoleteThe art or practice of fencing.
- 6
A guard or guide on machinery.
- 7
A barrier, for example an emotional barrier.
- 8
A prohibition enacted to prevent violation of another more primary rule.
verb
- 1
To enclose, contain or separate by building fence.
- 2
To defend or guard.
- 3
To engage in the selling or buying of stolen goods.
- 4
To engage in the sport of fencing (against).
- 5
To jump over a fence.
- 6
To conceal the truth by giving equivocal answers; to hedge; to be evasive.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Fence in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | clôture, cloison , recéleur, recéleuse, receleur, receleuse |
| German | Zaun, Hag, Fence, Fenz , Hehler, Hehlerin |
| Portuguese | cerca , receptador , cercar , esgrimir |
| Spanish | cerca, cerramiento, barda, valla, seto, cerco |
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 fence come from?
From Middle English fence, fens, short for defence, defens (“the act of defending”), from Old French defens, defense (see defence). The sense "enclosure" arises in the mid 15th century. Also from the 15th century is use as a verb in the sense "to enclose with a fence". The generalized sense "to defend, screen, protect" arises ca. 1500. The sense "to fight with swords (rapiers)" is from the 1590s (Shakespeare). Displaced native Old English heġe (compare Modern English hedge).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).