Which to use
“sends” and “spend” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,627
- “sends” frequency rank
- #1,152
- “spend” frequency rank
- 6779
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sends | spend |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | third-person singular simple present indicative of send | To pay out (money). |
Where the eye mixes sends and spend
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between sends and spend
A purely visual mix-up. sends (/sɛndz/) and spend (/spɛnd/) 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 4 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6779, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sends is recorded at frequency rank #5,627, classified as averb, pronounced /sɛndz/. spend is at rank #1,152, tagged as averb, pronounced /spɛnd/.
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 6779, this pair ranks #510,005 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sends vs spend
Shared letters: dens. Private to "sends": -. Private to "spend": p.
"sends" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC · "spend" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "sends" and "spend" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "sends" or "spend"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "sends" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "spend" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #510,005 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sends" and "spend" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sends vs suds". 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 #510,005 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.