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

Protect Ethical Prosecutors is currently suing the Denver Police Department for failing to turn over correspondence between prosecutors and police about the 750 cases with discovery problems — a list that includes one of Powell’s codefendants. —Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 1 Mar. 2026

The Robeson peak and Manuilova’s bust made this positional correspondence visible. —Anel Rakhimzhanova, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026

The correspondence suggests the relationship extended well beyond a single assignment. —Tara Palmeri, Vanity Fair, 27 Feb. 2026

In Quinn’s books, Lady Whistledown’s society papers make way for correspondence between Bridgerton siblings at the beginning of each chapter because Penelope retires after the fourth book. —Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 26 Feb. 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