Sense and reference

Sense and reference is a way of talking about the meaning of words when we use them in sentences. A word's sense is what it means, and its reference is what it points to in the world when you're talking about it. For example, when you say "dog," the sense is a type of four-legged animal with fur that barks. The reference is the specific dog (or dogs) that you have in mind when you say it.