Correspondence
kor-ih-SPON-dunss
/ˌkɒr.ɪˈspɒn.dəns/
Communication by exchanging letters, emails, or messages; also agreement or similarity.
Represents the ongoing written dialog or collected body of letters/emails between parties, rather than a single isolated note.
The story behind the word. When you correspond, you 'respond together'. The Latin com- paired with respondere captured the rhythmic back-and-forth dance of two writers answering each other's letters across distance.
Word relationships
- communication: 'Communication' is a broad term including speech and body language, whereas 'correspondence' focuses specifically on exchange of written messages.
- mail: 'Mail' refers to physical or digital delivery systems, whereas 'correspondence' emphasizes the ongoing written exchange itself.
- incommunicado: Refers to a state of zero communication or exchange.
Commonly confused with
- corespondent: A 'corespondent' is a legal co-defendant (e.g. in divorce court), while 'correspondence' is written exchanges.
Word family
- correspond (verb): To communicate in writing or to agree with.
- correspondent (noun): A person who writes letters/emails or a reporter.
Collocations
- written correspondence
- business correspondence
- official correspondence
- maintain correspondence
Example sentences
- "All official correspondence regarding the contract dispute must be archived securely." Legal record retention
- "Historians spent years analyzing the extensive correspondence between the two 19th-century diplomats." Academic research background
Memory hook
CORRESPONDENCE is when two writers RESPOND across DISTANCE. Back-and-forth written exchange.
When not to use
Avoid using for real-time oral speech or casual instant messaging threads unless referring to written records.
Fun facts
- Before the telegraph, international 'correspondence' could take six months per exchange, forcing writers to craft multi-page essays in single letters.
Related words
Explore more words
counterpart, Communicate, Agreement, discord, dialogue, congruence
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