# tender vs tendon

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### tender
*adjective · IPA /ˈtɛn.də(ɹ)/ · frequency rank #6,192*
Sensitive or painful to the touch.

### tendon
*noun · IPA /ˈtɛn.dən/ · frequency rank #19,483*
A tough band of flexible but inelastic fibrous collagen tissue that connects a muscle with its bony attachment and transmits the force which the muscle exerts.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tender-vs-tendon