Pronunciation: [sˈanz] (IPA) 
The word "sans" is commonly spelled with just four letters, but its pronunciation can be tricky for non-native speakers. Its IPA phonetic transcription is /sænz/, with a short "a" sound followed by a "z" sound. Its origin comes from French, where it means "without". It is often used in English language to indicate that something is missing or lacking, such as "sans-serif font" which refers to a font without any added decoration lines.
Sans is a preposition of French origin that is commonly used in English to indicate the absence or exclusion of something. It can also mean "without" or "not having". Derived from the Latin word sine, meaning "without", sans is often employed to express the idea of being lacking or deprived of a particular attribute, feature, or quality.
In a literal sense, sans denotes the state of being without or the absence of something physical or abstract. For example, one might say "He arrived sans luggage" to convey that he arrived without any luggage. Similarly, it can be used to convey the absence of certain qualities or characteristics, such as "He is a talented artist sans formal training", suggesting that the person lacks formal training as an artist.
In a figurative sense, sans is often employed to convey the idea of being free from or unaffected by something. For instance, one might say "She faced the difficult situation with courage, sans fear or doubt", highlighting her ability to confront the situation without fear or doubt.
The word sans has become quite common in English language usage, particularly in written form. It has found its way into various contexts, including literature, advertising, and everyday conversation. It is considered a versatile and concise way to convey the absence or exclusion of something, lending clarity and brevity to communication.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "sans" originates from the Old French word "sanz", which itself was derived from the Latin word "sine" meaning "without". In English, it is used as a preposition meaning "without" or "lacking". Over time, "sans" has become less common in everyday speech and is often found in more formal or poetic contexts.
