sense
/sɛns/noun, verb
sense is spelled S-E-N-S-E: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 155 times per million words in written English, the 657th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “sense vs since” about 2,400 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, sense means “Any of the manners by which living beings perceive the physical world: for humans sight, smell, hearing, touch, taste” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of sense is senses.
How many letters and syllables are in sense?
| Letters | 5: S-E-N-S-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 155 times per million words; the 657th 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 sense?
Sense appears 155 times per million words in written English, the 657th 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 sense?
- /sɛns/
- /sɛnts/
- /sɪns/
Sense 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-sense.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Back_ache-sense.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with sense
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: sence.
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of sense
- senses plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- sence
- sensing participle, present
- sensed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does sense mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Any of the manners by which living beings perceive the physical world: for humans sight, smell, hearing, touch, taste.
- 2
Perception through the intellect; apprehension; awareness.
a sense of security
- 3
Sound practical or moral judgment.
It’s common sense not to put metal objects in a microwave oven.
- 4
The meaning, reason, or value of something.
You don’t make any sense.
- 5
A meaning of a term (word or expression), among its various meanings.
the various senses of the word “car” (e.g., motor car, elevator car, railcar)
- 6
A single conventional use of a word; one of the entries or definitions for a word in a dictionary.
- 7
A natural appreciation or ability.
A keen musical sense
- 8
The way that a referent is presented.
verb
- 1
To use biological senses: to either see, hear, smell, taste, or feel.
- 2
To instinctively be aware.
She immediately sensed her disdain.
- 3
To comprehend.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Sense in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | sens , acception , sentir |
| German | Sinn , wahrnehmen, empfinden, spüren , Gefühl , Versand |
| Portuguese | sentido , sentir , sensação, senso , juízo |
| Spanish | sentido , significado , sensar , sensación , tactar |
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.