“Entrance” vs. “Entry”

Nouns, Versus

I saw the word “ENTRY” yesterday over a door that I would have labeled an “ENTRANCE”.

My personal preference is to use “entrance” to refer to a location and to use “entry” to refer to the act of entering, which explains why “ENTRY” on an over-door sign caught my eye.

This prompted me to learn more about each of these nouns.

The noun “entrance” dates back to the mid-1400s (MF).

The noun “entry” dates back to the late-1200s (L).

Dictionaries’ definitions of “entrance” and “entry” are so similar that I would call them synonyms.

Do you make any distinction between “entrance” and “entry”, or do you use them fully interchangeably?

Please contact me, and tell me where you grew up (your hometown) and how you use each of these nouns.

Once I have enough responses, I will share the results — without your name or email address, but with your hometown.

Thanks!