commend

/kəˈmɛnd/

//kəˈmɛnd// verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"commend" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“commend” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,887. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,887
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To congratulate or reward.

Corpus desk

Index EN-commend · commend · English

commend · rank #20,887 · 9 variants · 14 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #20,887
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 14 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH complied

Nearest frequency peer: complied (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “commend”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “commend” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

commend vs common
71% similar
commend vs comment
86% similar
commend vs commons
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for commend
PropertyValue
Headwordcommend
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/kəˈmɛnd/
Letters7
Frequency rank#20,887
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “commend” sits in English frequency

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).commend lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around commend (IPA /kəˈmɛnd/), averb. Corpus frequency is #20,887 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for commend, with forms such as "ccommend", "cmomend", and "comemnd". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 14 confusable-pair relationships, "common", "comment", "commons", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English commenden, from Old French comender, from Latin commendō (“commend, entrust to, commit, recommend”), from com- + mandō (“to commit, intrust, enjoin”), from manus (“hand”) + dō (“to put”). Doublet of command. The correct English form is commend, spelled C-O-M-M-E-N-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    To congratulate or reward.
  2. 2
    To praise or acclaim.
  3. 3
    To entrust or commit to the care of someone else.
  4. 4
    To mention by way of courtesy, implying remembrance and goodwill; give regards from
  5. 5
    To recommend.
  6. 6
    To adorn; to set off.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how commend appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The schoolboy was commended for raising the alarm about the burning building.
  2. The new law has little to commend it: it even worsens the legal certainty of the nation.

Etymology

From Middle English commenden, from Old French comender, from Latin commendō (“commend, entrust to, commit, recommend”), from com- + mandō (“to commit, intrust, enjoin”), from manus (“hand”) + dō (“to put”). Doublet of command.

This word in other languages

congratular(Español)féliciter(Français)belobigen(Deutsch)parabenizar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccommend
  • cmomend
  • comemnd
  • comend
  • commedn
  • commendd
  • commennd
  • commned
  • ocmmend

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of commend - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ccommend1cmomend2comemnd2comend1commedn2commendd1commennd1commned2
Edit distance from "commend"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "commend"?
"commend" is spelled C-O-M-M-E-N-D. The IPA pronunciation is /kəˈmɛnd/.
What does "commend" mean?
As a verb, "commend" means: To congratulate or reward.
What words are commonly confused with "commend"?
"commend" is commonly confused with "common", "comment", "commons". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "commend"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "commend" is /kəˈmɛnd/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "commend"?
From Middle English commenden, from Old French comender, from Latin commendō (“commend, entrust to, commit, recommend”), from com- + mandō (“to commit, intrust, enjoin”), from manus (“hand”) + dō (“to put”). Doublet of command. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "commend", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Crimean#20,891crochet#20,892chipped#20,881charmed#20,878

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Cecilia9 variantsDowney9 variantsextant9 variantsbiennial9 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "commend". Here's where to go from here.

  • "commend" maps to 14 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "common". View pair
  • 9 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #20,887 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "C" letter cohort. C–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list