What does correspondence mean?
Correspondence is a formal English noun with two related senses. Its primary meaning is communication conducted through written messages, particularly letters exchanged over time: keeping up a correspondence means writing to someone regularly. In business, academic, and legal settings, correspondence refers to the accumulated body of letters, emails, and official communications on file. The word's second sense denotes a close agreement or similarity between things — a correspondence between two accounts of an event suggests their details line up convincingly. Derived from Latin roots meaning 'to answer together,' it entered English in the early seventeenth century alongside its verb form correspond. Because it is uncountable in everyday use ('a lot of correspondence', never 'many correspondences' in ordinary speech), learners should treat it as a mass noun. Its tone is polished and professional, making it a staple of office vocabulary, though its letter-based origins give it a faintly old-fashioned charm in the digital age.
nounCommunication by the exchange of letters or messages, especially over a period of time; also a close similarity or match between two or more things.
- The action or practice of exchanging letters or messages, especially regularly and over time.
- Close similarity, agreement, or equivalence between two or more things.
"She kept up a lively correspondence with her former professor for decades."
"All business correspondence should be filed in the appropriate folder."
"There is a striking correspondence between the two accounts of the accident."
Rarely used; the plural appears mainly in academic writing to refer to multiple instances of similarity or agreement between things, not to multiple sets of letters.
"The study identified several correspondences between medieval manuscripts."
Before email, 'keeping up a correspondence' could span entire lifetimes — some famous letter exchanges ran for fifty years and were published as books.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of correspondence
Correspondence derives from the verb correspond, which entered English from French correspondre, ultimately from Medieval Latin correspondere, formed from com- ('together') and respondere ('to answer'). It appeared in English in the early seventeenth century, first carrying the sense of mutual agreement or conformity, with the sense of letter-writing developing shortly afterward. Cognates include French correspondance and Spanish correspondencia, all sharing the same Latin root.
How correspondence is actually used
Correspondence is an uncountable noun when referring to letters collectively — you do not say 'a correspondence' to mean one letter (though 'a correspondence' can mean an exchange of letters between two parties). It carries a somewhat formal register, common in business, academic, and legal contexts.
Easily confused with correspondence
A coincidence is an occurrence of events at the same time by chance, whereas a correspondence is either an exchange of letters or a genuine point-by-point similarity between things.