# whence

> English word · Adverb · IPA /ʍɛns/ · frequency rank #25,641

## Definitions
1. From where; from which place or source.

## Etymology
From Middle English whennes, from Old English hwanon (with adverbial genitive -s), related to hwonne (whence when). Analyzable as when + -s.

## Easily confused with
- **where** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whence-vs-where)
- **whine** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whence-vs-whine)
- **wince** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whence-vs-wince)
- **wrench** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/whence-vs-wrench)
- **when** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/when-vs-whence)
- **wench** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/wench-vs-whence)
- **when's** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/when-s-vs-whence)
- **weenie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/weenie-vs-whence)

## Common misspellings (10)
`hwence`, `wehnce`, `whance`, `whecne`, `whencce`, `whenec`, `whennce`, `whhence`, `whnece`, `wwhence`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/whence