Which to use
“bend” is a verb and “blends” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,762
- “bend” frequency rank
- #18,500
- “blends” frequency rank
- 24262
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bend | blends |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To cause (something) to change its shape into a curve, by physical force, chemical action, or any other means. | plural of blend |
Where the eye mixes bend and blends
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses bend with blends
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: bend is /bɛnd/ while blends is /blɛndz/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24262, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bend is recorded at frequency rank #5,762, classified as averb, pronounced /bɛnd/. blends is at rank #18,500, tagged as anoun, pronounced /blɛndz/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 24262, this pair ranks #403,270 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of bend vs blends
Shared letters: bden. Private to "bend": -. Private to "blends": ls.
"bend" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "blends" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "bend" and "blends" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "bend" or "blends"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "bend" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "blends" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #403,270 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bend" and "blends" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bendy vs blends". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #403,270 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.