thence

/ðɛns/

//ðɛns// adv

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

"thence" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“thence” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #26,627. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#26,627
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - From there, from that place or from that time.

Corpus desk

Index EN-thence · thence · English

thence · rank #26,627 · 10 variants · 13 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #26,627
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 13 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH testimonial

Nearest frequency peer: testimonial (-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 “thence”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “thence” 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).

thence vs there
67% similar
thence vs these
67% similar
thence vs thine
67% similar

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

Key facts for thence
PropertyValue
Headwordthence
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ðɛns/
Letters6
Frequency rank#26,627
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “thence”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).thencelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “testimonial” (#26,626), “thyme” (#26,628), “tenancy” (#26,624). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “thence” is #26,627. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around thence (IPA /ðɛns/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #26,627 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for thence, with forms such as "htence", "tehnce", and "thance". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 13 confusable-pair relationships, "there", "these", "thine", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English þennes, from þenne + -es (“adverbial ending”), the former from þanan, þanona, from Proto-West Germanic *þananā. Cognate with Westphalian Low German diëne. The correct English form is thence, spelled T-H-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    From there, from that place or from that time.
  2. 2
    Deriving from this fact or circumstance; therefore, therefrom.
  3. 3
    From that time; thenceforth; thereafter.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I came thence.
  2. Cross fix at 6000 feet, thence descend to 3000 feet and fly direct to MAP (missed approach point).

Etymology

From Middle English þennes, from þenne + -es (“adverbial ending”), the former from þanan, þanona, from Proto-West Germanic *þananā. Cognate with Westphalian Low German diëne.

Antonyms

thither

This word in other languages

dès lors(Français)daher(Deutsch)daí(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • htence
  • tehnce
  • thance
  • thecne
  • thencce
  • thenec
  • thennce
  • thhence
  • thnece
  • tthence

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of thence - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

htence2tehnce2thance1thecne2thencce1thenec2thennce1thhence1
Edit distance from "thence"

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 "thence"?
"thence" is spelled T-H-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ðɛns/.
What does "thence" mean?
As an adverb, "thence" means: From there, from that place or from that time.
What words are commonly confused with "thence"?
"thence" is commonly confused with "there", "these", "thine". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "thence"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "thence" is /ðɛns/. 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 "thence"?
From Middle English þennes, from þenne + -es (“adverbial ending”), the former from þanan, þanona, from Proto-West Germanic *þananā. Cognate with Westphalian Low German diëne. 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 "thence", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

trashy#26,635unholy#26,645upland#26,650sledge#26,603

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

squeaky10 variantsVauxhall10 variantssidebar10 variantsVilliers10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list