Which to use
“contend” and “convene” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,692
- “contend” frequency rank
- #27,413
- “convene” frequency rank
- 41105
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contend | convene |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To be in opposition; to contest; to dispute; to vie; to quarrel; to fight. | To come together; to meet; to unite. |
Where the eye mixes contend and convene
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: contend vs convene
A purely visual mix-up. contend (/kənˈtɛnd/) and convene (/kənˈviːn/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41105, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
contend is recorded at frequency rank #13,692, classified as averb, pronounced /kənˈtɛnd/. convene is at rank #27,413, tagged as averb, pronounced /kənˈviːn/.
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 41105, this pair ranks #261,453 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of contend vs convene
Shared letters: ceno. Private to "contend": dt. Private to "convene": v.
"contend" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC · "convene" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "contend" for "convene" ever safe?
Frequency check: "contend" vs "convene" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "contend" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "convene" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #261,453 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "contend" and "convene" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "convene vs convener". 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 #261,453 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.