Which to use
“expend” and “extend” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,801
- “expend” frequency rank
- #4,016
- “extend” frequency rank
- 36817
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | expend | extend |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To consume, exhaust (some resource). | To increase in extent. |
Where the eye mixes expend and extend
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between expend and extend
A purely visual mix-up. expend (/ɪkˈspɛnd/) and extend (/ɛkˈstɛnd/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - p in “expend” becomes t in “extend”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36817, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
expend is recorded at frequency rank #32,801, classified as averb, pronounced /ɪkˈspɛnd/. extend is at rank #4,016, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɛkˈstɛnd/.
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 36817, this pair ranks #299,911 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of expend vs extend
Shared letters: denx. Private to "expend": p. Private to "extend": t.
"expend" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC · "extend" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "expend" and "extend" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "expend" or "extend"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "expend" and "extend" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "expend" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "extend" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #299,911 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "expend" and "extend" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "expel vs expend". 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 #299,911 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.