* State, condition, or quality: This is the most common meaning.
* Occurrence: The state of happening or taking place.
* Importance: The quality of being important.
* Confidence: The state of being confident.
* Action or process:
* Performance: The action of performing.
* Resistance: The process of resisting.
* Attendance: The action of attending.
How to choose between "-ance" and "-ence":
There's no strict rule, but generally:
* "-ance" is used when the root word ends in a consonant. (e.g. "occur" + "-ance" = "occurrence")
* "-ence" is used when the root word ends in a vowel. (e.g. "refer" + "-ence" = "reference")
However, there are many exceptions to this rule. It's best to learn the words individually, as there are no hard and fast rules.
Here are some examples of words using "-ance" and "-ence":
-ance:
* Acceptance
* Abundance
* Assistance
* Guidance
* Ignorance
* Reliance
* Substance
* Variance
-ence:
* Absence
* Difference
* Existence
* Independence
* Preference
* Presence
* Reference
* Silence
* Violence
Learning common words with these suffixes will help you to decipher the meaning of new words you encounter.