lense

Everyday

«Lense» is a common misspelling of «lens». A lens is a curved piece of glass or clear plastic that bends light to make things look bigger, smaller or clearer, as in glasses, cameras, microscopes and the eye. tree →

In the lessons

In science lenses appear in lessons about light: a convex lens (thicker in the middle) can magnify and focus light; a concave lens (thinner in the middle) spreads light out. The eye has its own lens. Phrases (with the right spelling): «contact lens», «camera lens», «magnifying lens».

Examples

• The correct spelling is «lens», not «lense». tree →
• A magnifying glass has a convex lens. tree →
• The camera lens was dirty, so the photo was blurry. tree →
• My sister wears contact lenses instead of glasses. tree →
• The lens in your eye focuses light onto the back of the eye. tree →
• A microscope uses lenses to make tiny things look big. tree →
• Do not leave a lens in the sun on dry grass; it can start a fire. tree →
• Clean your glasses' lenses with a soft cloth. tree →

Note

The singular is «lens» (one lens) and the plural is «lenses»; «lense» is wrong, though people write it because of the plural. Safety: never look at the Sun through any lens. A lens focusing sunlight can start a fire.