rend

/ɹɛnd/

//ɹɛnd// verb

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

"rend" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“rend” is uncommon English (frequency #57,671 among 3,094 “R” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#57,671
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To separate into parts with force or sudden violence; to split; to burst.

Corpus desk

Index EN-rend · rend · English

rend · rank #57,671 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #57,671
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH resistivity

Nearest frequency peer: resistivity (+3 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.

Long-tail ranks near “rend”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “rend” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for rend
PropertyValue
Headwordrend
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɹɛnd/
Letters4
Frequency rank#57,671
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “rend” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).rendfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “resistivity” (#57,674), “Ridgefield” (#57,676), “RCM” (#57,665). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “rend” is #57,671. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

rend is uncommon English at frequency #57,671 among 3,094 “R” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ɹɛnd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for rend, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English renden, from Old English rendan (“to rend, tear, cut, lacerate, cut down”), from Proto-West Germanic *(h)randijan (“to tear”), of uncertain origin. Believed by some to be the causative of Proto-Germanic *hrindaną (“to push”), from Proto-… The correct English form is rend, spelled R-E-N-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    To separate into parts with force or sudden violence; to split; to burst.
  2. 2
    To violently disturb the peace of; to throw into chaos.
  3. 3
    To part or tear off forcibly; to take away by force; to amputate.
  4. 4
    To be rent or torn; to become parted; to separate; to split.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Powder rends a rock in blasting.
  2. Lightning rends an oak.

Etymology

From Middle English renden, from Old English rendan (“to rend, tear, cut, lacerate, cut down”), from Proto-West Germanic *(h)randijan (“to tear”), of uncertain origin. Believed by some to be the causative of Proto-Germanic *hrindaną (“to push”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱret-, *kret- (“to hit, beat”), which would make it related to Old English hrindan (“to thrust, push”). Cognate with Scots rent (“to rend, tear”), Old Frisian renda (“to tear”).

This word in other languages

rasgar(Español)rompre(Français)zerreißen(Deutsch)rasgar(Português)

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 "rend"?
"rend" is spelled R-E-N-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɛnd/.
What does "rend" mean?
As a verb, "rend" means: To separate into parts with force or sudden violence; to split; to burst.
How do you pronounce "rend"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rend" is /ɹɛnd/. 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 "rend"?
From Middle English renden, from Old English rendan (“to rend, tear, cut, lacerate, cut down”), from Proto-West Germanic *(h)randijan (“to tear”), of uncertain origin. Believed by some to be the causative of Proto-Germanic *hrindaną (“to push”), f... 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 "rend", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

spay#57,728Nour#57,603sudo#57,744suet#57,745

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list