trendvstrendyWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: trend is a noun, trendy is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“trend” is a noun and “trendy” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,972
“trend” frequency rank
#15,720
“trendy” frequency rank
18692
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature trend trendy
Definition An inclination in a particular direction. Of, or in accordance with the latest trend, fashion or hype.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set trend and trendy apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
trend
6 ch
trendy

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: trend is /tɹɛnd/ while trendy is /ˈtɹɛndi/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “trend” sits inside “trendy”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18692, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

trend is recorded at frequency rank #2,972, classified as anoun, pronounced /tɹɛnd/. trendy is at rank #15,720, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈtɹɛndi/.

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 18692, this pair ranks #443,171 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of trend vs trendy

Shared letters: denrt. Private to "trend": -. Private to "trendy": y.

"trend" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC  ·  "trendy" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • trendrtend · ternd · tredn · trendd · trennd · trned · trrend · ttrend
  • trendyrtendy · terndy · tredny · trenddy · trendyy · trenndy · trenyd · trnedy

Frequency comparison

trend#2,972
trendy#15,720

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "trend" and "trendy" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "trend" is a noun and "trendy" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "trend" or "trendy"?
"trend" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,972 in our English list, against #15,720 for "trendy". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering trend vs trendy

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “trend”; for an adjective, it's “trendy”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “trend” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list