Which to use
“legend” is a noun and “lend” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,375
- “legend” frequency rank
- #8,057
- “lend” frequency rank
- 11432
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | legend | lend |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The life story of a saint (such stories are often embellished, but any kind is called a legend). | To allow to be used by someone temporarily, on condition that it or its equivalent will be returned. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set legend and lend apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
legend and lend form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11432, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
legend is recorded at frequency rank #3,375, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈlɛd͡ʒ.ənd/. lend is at rank #8,057, tagged as averb, pronounced /lɛnd/.
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 11432, this pair ranks #487,075 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "legend" and "lend" be used interchangeably?
Remembering legend vs lend
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “legend”; for a verb, it's “lend”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “legend” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable