pence
Pronunciation: /pɛns/
British
- plural form of penny.
Both pence and pennies have existed as plural forms of penny since at least the 16th century. The two forms now tend to be used for different purposes: pence refers to sums of money ( five pounds and sixty-nine pence) while pennies refers to the coins themselves ( I left two pennies on the table). The use of pence rather than penny as a singular ( the chancellor will put one pence on income tax) is not regarded as correct in standard English.