Entry and entrance are easy to confuse because they share similar meanings. However, they are used in different ways. Let’s take a look!
Entrance
When it is a noun, entrance is pronounced /entrəns/. The most common meaning of entrance is the physical way to get into a place – for example, a door, a gate, or a passageway:
Beside the entrance to the church, turn right.
A marble entrance leads to a sitting room.
Entrance can also be a verb and is pronounced /ɪntrɑːns/. If something or someone entrances you, they cause you to feel great delight and wonder.
As soon as I met Dick, he entranced me because he has a lovely voice.
Last Friday she entranced the audience with her classical Indian singing.
Entry
Entry is more commonly used to talk about permission or the right to enter a place:
Entry to the museum is free.
Bill was among the first to gain entry to Buckingham Palace when it opened to the public recently.
Note that to talk about the physical way into a place, use entrance.
Entrance and entry
Both entrance and entry can also describe the moment someone arrives in a place, particularly when they want to be noticed:
If she had noticed her father’s entrance, she gave no indication.
He made his entrance into the parade ring.
He made his triumphal entry into Mexico City.
In summary
| Word | Main meaning |
| entrance | the physical way into a place; the act of arriving |
| entry | permission or the right to enter; the act of arriving |
