TOEIC Link Part 5: ordinance versus ordnance

Ordinance and ordnance are separated by one small syllable — the i that ordnance drops — and they share no meaning at all. Ordinance is an official rule, usually a regulation passed by a city or local authority; ordnance is a collective term for military weapons, artillery, and ammunition. Because the two look almost identical on the page, Part 5 can slot the wrong one into a blank and reward a reader who matches letters instead of meaning. For another pair that differs by a single silent letter, see cite versus site.

The core rule: a rule versus a weapon

• ordinance (noun) = an official regulation or law, especially one enacted by a municipal authority. The city passed an ordinance banning smoking in parks. / A local zoning ordinance limits building height.
• ordnance (noun) = military weapons, artillery, and ammunition as a category. The unit stored its ordnance in a secured depot. / Unexploded ordnance was cleared before construction began.

The clue is the subject matter. Ordinance belongs to the world of government and law — councils, permits, regulations. Ordnance belongs to the world of the military — weapons, supplies, and munitions.

Why Part 5 likes this pair

Both words are nouns, so grammar alone will not resolve the blank. Only the topic of the sentence — civic regulation or armaments — points to the answer.

The council introduced a new __ requiring restaurants to post health ratings.

The blank names a local regulation, so the answer is ordinance.

The base maintains strict procedures for handling and storing __.

Here the blank names military munitions, so ordnance is required.

Spotting the clue in the structure

Ask whether the sentence is about rules or about weapons:

• The word means a law or regulation and pairs with civic terms like city, council, zoning, or permit → choose ordinance (a municipal ordinance, a noise ordinance).
• The word means weapons and ammunition and pairs with military terms like unit, depot, or unexploded → choose ordnance (military ordnance, ordnance depot).

A quick test settles most items: if you could swap in regulation or bylaw, you want ordinance; if you could swap in munitions or armaments, you want ordnance. For another pair where the topic rather than the spelling decides the answer, see elicit versus illicit.

Quick self-check

1. A recently enacted __ prohibits parking on that street overnight. (ordinance — a local regulation)
2. Engineers surveyed the field for buried __ before the dig. (ordnance — munitions)

Takeaway

If the blank names an official rule or local regulation, you need ordinance. If it names military weapons or ammunition, you need ordnance. Decide whether the sentence is about law or about armaments, and two words that differ by a single silent syllable stop competing. For a related pair decided by context rather than spelling, see adverse versus averse.