ordnance
/ˈoɹdnəns/noun
ordnance is spelled O-R-D-N-A-N-C-E: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.3 times per million words in written English, the 17,813th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “ordinance vs ordnance” about 1,600 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, ordnance means “Military equipment, especially weapons and ammunition” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of ordnance is ordnances.
How many letters and syllables are in ordnance?
| Letters | 8: O-R-D-N-A-N-C-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.3 times per million words; the 17,813th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people 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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is ordnance?
Ordnance appears 2.3 times per million words in written English, the 17,813th 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 ordnance?
- UK /ˈɔːdnəns/
- UK /ˈɔːdɪnəns/
- US /ˈoɹdnəns/
Ordnance has 2 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-ordnance.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-ordnance.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with ordnance
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: ordinance.
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of ordnance
- ordnances plural
- ordinance
- ordenance
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ordnance mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Military equipment, especially weapons and ammunition.
- 2
Artillery.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ordnance in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Militärmaterial, Kampfmittel , Artillerie |
| Spanish | pertrecho, pertrechos , munición, municiones |
| French | munitions |
| Portuguese | artilharia , petrechos |
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 ordnance come from?
A reduced form of ordinance, which is attested from the late 14th century in the sense of “military equipment or provisions”. The sense of “artillery” arises in the early 15th century, the sense “military logistics” in the late 15th century. The shortened form ordnance arises by the 17th century, now often distinguished in writing from the other meanings of ordinance. Also doublet of ordonnance.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).