Yesterday, my eight-year-old daughter had a shocking revelation about commonly misspelled words as I looked over a story she was writing: “You mean sence isn’t a word?!” she gasped. “Then how do I spell the thing I’m trying to say?”
“Well,” I replied, there are two correct options. Since I’m both an English teacher and an artist, let me hand-illustrate and explain each, so you’ll understand…”
Sence
Ok, first off, the spelling “sence” is simply wrong. It doesn’t exist — much like “greatful.” Toss it out the window, never to be seen again!
Basically, what has happened here with this typo is that two words — sence and since — have gotten mixed up and squished together, like with the misspelling, “whitch.” Now, let’s figure out which one IS correct to write…
Spelling Since
By writing “sence,” you might be trying to spell “since” — the word that means “In the time after.” For example, you may be trying to write a sentence like, “Ever since I saw Lillie’s cartoon about how to spell the word acquire, I’ve stopped writing the misspelling, ‘aquire!'”
How to Spell Sense
Alternately, maybe you’re not trying to spell “since” at all, but rather you are searching for the word “sense,” which has a whole bunch of definitions that are either nouns or verbs, These include: meaning (“In what sense do you mean that?”), faculties for perceiving (“The five senses”), rationality (“Good sense”), and feeling (“I sense that you’re nervous today”).
The Homophone, Cents
Finally, we need to be aware that a homophone (word that sounds the same but means something different) of sense is “cents” — as in the coins in dollars and cents money. It is less likely that someone is trying to spell this word when they write “sence” since there are two letters different, but it’s still possible.
VIDEO: Since and Sense Fun
Sence, Since, or Sense, in Sum
Now, ever SINCE my daughter and I had this conversation and I drew her these handy dandy educational cartoons, she’s had the good SENSE to not use the misspelling “sence” anymore! I hope this lesson has been helpful for you, too. What would you like me to illustrate and explain next? Do share!
Want more? Check out my article about the frequent typo, “weither!”
The author and artist, Lillie Marshall, is a National Board Certified Teacher of English who has been a public school educator since 2003, and an experienced Reiki practitioner since 2018. All art on this site is original and hand-drawn by Lillie. She launched DrawingsOf.com Educational Cartoons in 2020, building upon the success of her other sites, AroundTheWorldL.com (established 2009), TeachingTraveling.com (founded 2010), and ReikiColors.com. Subscribe to Lillie’s monthly newsletter, and follow @WorldLillie on social media to stay connected!
