Basic Details
Word: Coherence
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: The quality of being clear and logical, with all the parts fitting together sensibly; also the state of sticking together as one whole.
Synonyms: clarity, logic, unity, consistency
Antonyms: confusion, disorder, muddle
Word origin: Comes from Latin cohaerere, 'to stick together'.
How to Spell Coherence
Syllables: co - her - ence
Tricky part: There is only one r, and the word ends in ence, not ance. The middle part is spelt her, the pronoun.
Watch out for: coherance, coherrence, cohearence
Memory tip: Her speech had coherence: find the word her in co-her-ence, then finish with the ence of sentence.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The judges praised the coherence of Aditi's speech on clean rivers.
Example 2: Without a plan, my first draft had no coherence at all.
Example 3: The team lost its coherence after the captain was injured.
Fun Fact
The Latin verb haerere, to stick, lies behind coherence, adhesive and even hesitate, which first meant to stick fast or get stuck.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the word opposite in meaning to coherence as used in the sentence:
Every point in her essay led neatly to the next, and the examiner noticed its coherence.
a) logic
b) clarity
c) confusion
d) unity
Show answer
c) confusion. Coherence means the ideas hang together, so confusion is its opposite.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one word in the list is spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of that word.
1. sumary 2. paragraf 3. arguement 4. coherence
a) a section of writing on one idea, starting on a new line
b) a short account of the main points
c) a set of reasons given to support a view
d) the quality of fitting together logically
Show answer
d) the quality of fitting together logically. Only coherence is correct; paragraph, argument and summary are the right spellings of the others.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
Without a clear plan, his story lacked cenerheoc and jumped from scene to scene.
a) cohesion
b) coherent
c) coherence
d) reference
Show answer
c) coherence. The jumble holds two c's and three e's; of the four options, only coherence has both.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
coherrence
a) e
b) c
c) r
d) h
Show answer
c) r. The word has a single r, as in the pronoun her.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which is the adjective that goes with coherence?
a) coherous
b) coherant
c) cohering
d) coherent
Show answer
d) coherent
2. In science, the light from a laser is called coherent because its waves ____.
a) have no colour
b) move in step with each other
c) are very hot
d) travel in circles
Show answer
b) move in step with each other
