hence

/ˈhɛns/

//ˈhɛns// adv

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"hence" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hence” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,759. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,759
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
17
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - From here, from this place, away.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hence · hence · English

hence · rank #3,759 · 8 variants · 17 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,759
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 17 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH grass

Nearest frequency peer: grass (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “hence”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “hence” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

hence vs here
60% similar
hence vs hone
60% similar
hence vs henry
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for hence
PropertyValue
Headwordhence
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈhɛns/
Letters5
Frequency rank#3,759
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs17
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “hence”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).hencelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “grass” (#3,758), “increasingly” (#3,760), “gifts” (#3,757). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hence” is #3,759. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around hence (IPA /ˈhɛns/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #3,759 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for hence, with forms such as "ehnce", "hance", and "hecne". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 17 confusable-pair relationships, "here", "hone", "henry", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: A later Middle English spelling, retaining the voiceless -s, of hennes (henne + adverbial genitive ending -s), from Old English heonan (“away", "hence”), from a Proto-West Germanic *hin-, from Proto-Germanic *hiz, and Proto-Germanic *-anē. Cognate with Old … The correct English form is hence, spelled H-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    From here, from this place, away.
  2. 2
    From the living or from this world.
  3. 3
    In the future from now.
  4. 4
    As a result; therefore, for this reason.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I'm going hence, because you have insulted me.
  2. Get thee hence, Satan!

Etymology

A later Middle English spelling, retaining the voiceless -s, of hennes (henne + adverbial genitive ending -s), from Old English heonan (“away", "hence”), from a Proto-West Germanic *hin-, from Proto-Germanic *hiz, and Proto-Germanic *-anē. Cognate with Old Saxon hinan, Old High German hinnan (German hinnen), Dutch heen, Swedish hän. Related to Old English her (“here”).

Antonyms

hither

This word in other languages

por lo tanto(Español)d'ici(Français)fort(Deutsch)daqui(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ehnce
  • hance
  • hecne
  • hencce
  • henec
  • hennce
  • hhence
  • hnece

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of hence - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ehnce2hance1hecne2hencce1henec2hennce1hhence1hnece2
Edit distance from "hence"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "hence"?
"hence" is spelled H-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɛns/.
What does "hence" mean?
As an adverb, "hence" means: From here, from this place, away.
What words are commonly confused with "hence"?
"hence" is commonly confused with "here", "hone", "henry". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hence"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hence" is /ˈhɛns/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "hence"?
A later Middle English spelling, retaining the voiceless -s, of hennes (henne + adverbial genitive ending -s), from Old English heonan (“away", "hence”), from a Proto-West Germanic *hin-, from Proto-Germanic *hiz, and Proto-Germanic *-anē. Cognate... See the full etymology section above for more details.
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "hence", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

grass#3,758gifts#3,757forum#3,756lists#3,767

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Clark8 variantsrocks8 variantssixth8 variantstowns8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list