Attendance vs attendence; which spelling do you use when discussing people that attended an event or went to a place? In other words, are both spellings correct, or is one incorrect? We are happy to inform you of the correct position so that you don’t shy away from using these words.
Attendance is the count of people present at an event or a place. It also means “the state of attendi or being at a place or an event. Another meaning is “the frequency of one’s presence for a set of events.” On the other hand, the term attendence is a misspelling of attendance.
You may not notice the difference if you are unkeen when reading the words attendance and attendence. Like most words you might come across, the main difference is in the spelling. This post will discuss how attendance and attendence differ and some similarities you should note.
Definitions Of Attendance And Attendence
The words attendance and attendence are word forms of the term “attend.” Therefore, let us start this section by defining the word from which these words come. Attend is a verb with multiple meanings.
First, to attend means “to turn one’s consideration to something, deal with a task, problem, or concern. For example, “The sisters will attend to the guests when they arrive.”
Another meaning of “attend” is “to be present at an event or place so you can participate in some proceedings.” An example sentence is, “The students must attend the match to support their team.”
To attend also means “to regularly go to a place or an event.” For example, “The students usually attend the annual music festival every fall.”
Now that the meaning of the word “attend” is clear to you, we can move on to the definitions of “attendance” and “attendence.”
Definitions Of Attendance
The primary definition of attendance is “the state of attending.” (See the meaning of attend above). Let’s look at a sentence example “The attendance for the event was quite low this month.”
We can also say attendance is “the concept of individuals or groups appearing at a place for a formerly arranged event.” Here is an example in a sentence, “Event organizers will measure the attendance so they can use the report to gauge the effectiveness of their marketing and planning efforts for the future.”
Attendance is also “the count or the number of people present for an event or at a place.” An example in a sentence is, “The attendance was 2000 people, and they were so impressive that the organizers had to prepare a separate venue for the surplus.”
Another meaning of attendance is “the frequency with which a person is present for a frequent or regular activity or event.” For example, “John’s attendance at the exhibit was unexpected since he never showed interest in the arts.”
Another source defines attendance as “attention or careful application or regard.” An example in a sentence is, “The teacher asked her students to give attendance to reading as she responded to the call from a parent.”
Definitions Of Attendence
Attendence is a misspelling of the word attendance. Consequently, it is not a word, and you should not use it in sentences, regardless of the context.
How To Properly Use Attendance And Attendence In A Sentence
Sometimes, the comparison between these words is quite simple. For example, in this case, the simple answer is that attendance is the correct spelling, not attendence. So, attendence is an invalid term to avoid. Now that you know this, let us look at some guidelines for using these words in sentences.
How To Use The Word Attendance
This word is a noun. So, use it as such when referring to:
- An action or state of regularly being present at a location or event. For example, “The attendance this year was higher than the past two years.”
- The number of people present at an event. For example, “The organizers plan to interview the attendance of eighty ladies today.”
- The condition of participation or involvement in something, like an event. For example, “Jane’s attendance at the annual party is always a game changer.”
Note: Attendance is an abstract noun. An abstract noun refers to things you cannot see, smell, or taste. Simply put, an abstract noun refers to an inanimate and intangible object.
How To Use The Word Attendence
As we have said, attendence is a misspelling. Therefore, you should not use it in your context. That said, we will not provide any tips for using this word.
Attendance Vs Attendence: Note The Following Differences And Similarities
Attendance is a noun formed from the verb attend. This is also the case with the word attendence, even if it is incorrect. Besides this similarity, let us look at some comprehensive facts about these words.
The Word-Forming Elements
The word attendance features the word root “attend” and the suffix “-ance.” “-Ance” is a word-forming suffix often attached to verbs to form abstract nouns. This word-forming element denotes “the process or fact of.” For example, converge becomes convergence, which means “the fact of converging.” This suffix comes from the Latin “-antia” of “-entia,” meaning “fact of.” It is also borrowed from the French language.
Note that adjectives ending with the suffix “-ant” usually take on the suffix “-ance” when forming nouns. So, the adjective of the word attend is attendant, and its noun form is “attendance.” This rule also applies to words like distance and fragrant, which become fragrance and distance.
The word-forming suffix “-ence” is also not incorrect. So, the similarity between “-ance” and “-ence” is that both refer to the same thing. So, you can use them in the same way. However, they do not apply to all words.
That is why the word permanent becomes permanence, but attendant does not become attendence. This fact can be confusing. However, something you should know about the English language is that there are no definite rules, especially concerning spelling. Some rules apply to some words and not others.
List Of Examples Of Attendance And Attendence Use In Sentences
Between attendance and attendence, the first word is the most popular. That is the case because it is the correct spelling. However, some people still use incorrect spelling simply because they don’t know the right approach. Here are some example sentences with these words.
Example sentences of the word attendance
- Howard was the only family member in attendance at my graduation ceremony.
- The number of Republicans in attendance at the democrat rally was alarming.
- Those in attendance will explain to the absentees what is expected of them for the charity drive.
- The organizers attributed the low attendance to the Covid-19 pandemic and social restrictions.
- The service attendance this Sunday was impressive, thanks to the guest speaker.
Example sentences of the word attendence
- The planners could not explain the low attendence because they did the same things as last year. (INCORRECT)
- The attendence at the planetarium was arguably alarming. (INCORRECT)
- The attendence this year was lower than the last three years combined. (INCORRECT)
- Simon’s attendance at the event excited everyone because it was his first time attending an event outside his religious circle. (INCORRECT)
- The crowd screamed and shouted excitedly when the host announced the superstar’s guest attendence. (INCORRECT)
Other Word Usage Posts
Conclusion
This post concludes that the correct spelling is attendance and not attendence. So, now that you know this, you should avoid incorrect spelling. Doing so will help people understand your written speech. It is also an excellent way to showcase your grammar prowess when using vocabulary.
Shawn Manaher is the founder and CEO of The Content Authority. He’s one part content manager, one part writing ninja organizer, and two parts leader of top content creators. You don’t even want to know what he calls pancakes.