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-ense

Spanish, suffix/ˈense/

-ense is a Spanish feminine suffix meaning “forms adjectives and nouns that denote ethnonyms, like estadounidense, from Estados Unidos” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario) defines it as “Se usa para la formación de gentilicios, tanto con nombres propios de lugar como comunes”.

What does -ense mean in English?

suffix

  1. 1

    femininemasculineforms adjectives and nouns that denote ethnonyms, like estadounidense, from Estados Unidos

Source: English Wiktionary, Spanish section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How Spanish dictionaries define it

suffix: 1. Se usa para la formación de gentilicios, tanto con nombres propios de lugar como comunes.

The definition in the Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario), in Spanish.

Source: Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.

How do you pronounce -ense?

  • /ˈense/
  • [ˈẽn.se]
  • [ˈẽnse]

Sources: English Wiktionary, Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.

English words that translate to -ense

Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.