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

Film reels, correspondence, and early recordings risk disappearing, and not all museums have the resources to preserve them. —Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 5 Dec. 2025

Her attorney, David Oscar Markus, revealed the plan in correspondence with Manhattan Federal Judge Paul Engelmayer regarding the Justice Departmentâs request to unseal transcripts from the 2020 grand jury proceedings that produced Maxwellâs indictment. —Molly Crane Newman, Mercury News, 4 Dec. 2025

Writing about Israelis as a Palestinian In prison, Khandaqji studied political science by correspondence, focusing on Israeli studies. —Daniel Estrin, NPR, 3 Dec. 2025

Noella Turnage, who had been employed by the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) since 2019, identified herself Monday as the whistleblower who previously shared some of Maxwell’s correspondence with members of the House Judiciary Committee. —Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2025

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