Ambience and ambiance are different spellings of the same word, meaning the special atmosphere or mood of a particular environment. While some dictionaries list ambiance as the standard spelling, ambience is more common in all major varieties of English.
Ambiance is the French word from which the English word is derived, and ambience is an anglicization. But in fact, the anglicized word has been in English longer and was well established long before the French spelling entered English as a vogue word in the 20th century. So it makes sense that ambience is more common. It’s been an English word longer.
Examples
Although British English, compared to American English, is usually more welcoming to French words and spellings, most British publications prefer the non-French spelling of ambience—for example:
The relaxed ambience could also be down to the absence of mobile technology at our table. [Guardian]
Jasper itself is also very popular for skiing, although Jasper Park Lodge doesn’t have the ambience or cachet of the hotels above. [Telegraph]
Canadian, Australian, and American publications also tend to prefer ambience over ambiance—for example:
Parallel lines are encouraged to reflect the nautical ambience. [Montreal Gazette]
In Midtown and Lower Manhattan, we had experienced the ambience and uber-cool of the village life that so attracts people to this unique island. [Herald Sun]
Evidently, too many coffee shops in town have had their ambience wrecked when itinerant word processors with laptops turn the tables into office space. [New York Times]
