How to spell instance

hear itin·stance/'ɪnstəns/nounSilent and tricky

What it means: A particular case or example.

In a sentence: In this instance, the cat jumped over the fence.

The part people get wrong

Often misspelled as instence or instencee.

Same family: instant, instantaneous, instantly, for instance, example. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Instance” comes from Latin *instantia*, meaning ‘vigor’ or ‘urgency,’ from *instare* ‘to press on or stand upon.’ Over time, its meaning shifted from a sense of ‘pressing situation’ to the more general idea of a particular example or occurrence.

Try spelling it

You will hear the word and a sentence. Type it and press Enter. Then four more words from the same level, so you know where you stand.

Words like this

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