contender

/kənˈtɛn.dɚ/

//kənˈtɛn.dɚ// noun

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

"contender" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“contender” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,949. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,949
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Someone who competes with one or more other people.

Corpus desk

Index EN-contender · contender · English

contender · rank #12,949 · 14 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,949
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH consul

Nearest frequency peer: consul (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “contender”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “contender” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

contender vs convener
78% similar
contender vs contented
78% similar
contender vs contend
78% similar

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

Key facts for contender
PropertyValue
Headwordcontender
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kənˈtɛn.dɚ/
Letters9
Frequency rank#12,949
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “contender”

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).contenderlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “consul” (#12,948), “crimson” (#12,950), “condom” (#12,947). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “contender” is #12,949. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around contender (IPA /kənˈtɛn.dɚ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,949 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for contender, with forms such as "ccontender", "cnotender", and "conetnder". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "convener", "contented", "contend", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From contend + -er. The correct English form is contender, spelled C-O-N-T-E-N-D-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Someone who competes with one or more other people.
  2. 2
    Someone who has a viable chance of winning a competition.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. In April 2014, towards the end of Özil’s first season at Arsenal – which had been marked by highs and lows – Wenger predicted the German would be a contender for the player of the year awards in 2014‑15.

Etymology

From contend + -er.

This word in other languages

concurrent(Français)Gegner(Deutsch)competidor(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccontender
  • cnotender
  • conetnder
  • conntender
  • contedner
  • contendder
  • contenderr
  • contendre
  • contenedr
  • contennder
  • contneder
  • conttender
  • cotnender
  • ocntender

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of contender - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ccontender1cnotender2conetnder2conntender1contedner2contendder1contenderr1contendre2
Edit distance from "contender"

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "contender"?
"contender" is spelled C-O-N-T-E-N-D-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /kənˈtɛn.dɚ/.
What does "contender" mean?
As a noun, "contender" means: Someone who competes with one or more other people.
What words are commonly confused with "contender"?
"contender" is commonly confused with "convener", "contented", "contend". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "contender"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "contender" is /kənˈtɛn.dɚ/. 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 "contender"?
From contend + -er. 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 "contender", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

communion#12,946cinematic#12,940electrons#12,964brutality#12,928

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

evidently14 variantsbackstage14 variantsWimbledon14 variantssymposium14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list