fend
/ˈfɛnd/verb, noun
fend is spelled F-E-N-D: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 1.6 times per million words in written English, the 22,073rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, fend means “To take care of oneself; to take responsibility for one's own well-being” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in fend?
| Letters | 4: F-E-N-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 1.6 times per million words; the 22,073rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is fend?
Fend appears 1.6 times per million words in written English, the 22,073rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce fend?
- /ˈfɛnd/
- [ˈfɛnd]
- /ˈfɪnd/
Fend has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-fend.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of fend
- fends present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- fending participle, present
- fended participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does fend mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To take care of oneself; to take responsibility for one's own well-being.
- 2
rareTo defend, to take care of (typically construed with for); to block or push away (typically construed with off).
noun
- 1
UKAn enemy; fiend; the Devil.
- 2
obsoleteSelf-support; taking care of one's own well-being.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Fend in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to take care of or responsibility for oneself:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | prendre soin de soi |
| German | alleine auskommen, für sich selbst sorgen |
| Spanish | valerse por sí mismo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does fend come from?
From Middle English fenden (“defend, fight, prevent”), shortening of defenden (“defend”), from Old French deffendre (Modern French défendre), from Latin dēfendō (“to ward off”), from dē- + *fendō (“hit, thrust”), from Proto-Italic *fendō, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷʰen- (“strike, kill”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).