correspondence

noun

cor·​re·​spon·​dence ˌkȯr-ə-ˈspän-dən(t)s 

ˌkär-

1

a

: communication by letters or email

also : the letters or emails exchanged

I have a pile of correspondence on my desk.

b

: the news, information, or opinion contributed by a correspondent to a newspaper or periodical

2

a

: the agreement of things with one another

the correspondence between spelling and pronunciation

b

: a particular similarity

c

: a relation between sets in which each member of one set is associated with one or more members of the other compare function sense 5a

Synonyms of correspondence

• similarity
• resemblance

Examples of correspondence in a Sentence

They communicated by telephone and correspondence.

E-mail correspondence has become extremely important for modern businesses.

The two men began a correspondence that would continue throughout their lives.

A book of the author's personal correspondence was published early last year.

A formal tone is always used in business correspondence.

Note the correspondence of each number to a location on the map.

Sometimes there is little correspondence between the way a word is spelled and the way it is pronounced in English.

Sometimes there are few correspondences between spelling and pronunciation.

Recent Examples on the Web

None of this correspondence has been acknowledged. —R. Eric Thomas, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2026

The records also show numerous other insiders who kept friendly correspondence with Epstein. —Curt Devine, CNN Money, 13 June 2026

More importantly to the lawsuits, the inquiry also found internal correspondence that showed the companies were aware of the presence of these metals, and in some cases, violated their own standards. —Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 12 June 2026

The collections, with thousands of objects, including furniture, art, everyday items, fabrics, children’s toys and family papers (including spy correspondence), look at how generations of the Townsend family lived, as well as what Oyster Bay was like during the 18th and 19th centuries. —Catherine Sabino, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

see correspond

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Phrases Containing correspondence

• correspondence course
• correspondence school

Kids Definition

correspondence

noun

cor·​re·​spon·​dence ˌkȯr-ə-ˈspän-dən(t)s 

1

a

: agreement between certain things

b

: a point of similarity

c

: a relation between sets in which each member of one set is matched to one or more members of the other set

2

a

: communication by letters

b

: the letters exchanged