tender

/ˈtɛn.də(ɹ)/

//ˈtɛn.də(ɹ)// adj

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

"tender" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tender” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,192. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,192
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - Sensitive or painful to the touch.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tender · tender · English

tender · rank #6,192 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,192
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH teenager

Nearest frequency peer: teenager (-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 “tender”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “tender” 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 2, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

tender vs tends
67% similar
tender vs tense
67% similar
tender vs tenor
67% similar

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

Key facts for tender
PropertyValue
Headwordtender
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈtɛn.də(ɹ)/
Letters6
Frequency rank#6,192
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tender” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). tender lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around tender (IPA /ˈtɛn.də(ɹ)/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #6,192 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 12 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for tender, with forms such as "etnder", "tedner", and "tendder". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "tends", "tense", "tenor", 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 Middle English tender, tendere, from Anglo-Norman tender, Old French tendre, from Latin tener, tenerum (“soft, delicate”). The correct English form is tender, spelled T-E-N-D-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Sensitive or painful to the touch.
  2. 2
    Easily bruised or injured; not firm or hard; delicate.
  3. 3
    Physically weak; not able to endure hardship.
  4. 4
    Soft and easily chewed.
  5. 5
    Sensible to impression and pain; easily pained.
  6. 6
    Fond, loving, gentle, or sweet.
  7. 7
    Young and inexperienced.
  8. 8
    Adapted to excite feeling or sympathy; expressive of the softer passions; pathetic.
  9. 9
    Apt to give pain; causing grief or pain; delicate.
  10. 10
    Heeling over too easily when under sail; said of a vessel.
  11. 11
    Exciting kind concern; dear; precious.
  12. 12
    Careful to keep inviolate, or not to injure; used with of.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. […]poore Lord, is't I That chaſe thee from thy Countrie, and expoſe Thoſe tender limbes of thine[…]
  2. Be careful: that area is tender.

Etymology

From Middle English tender, tendere, from Anglo-Norman tender, Old French tendre, from Latin tener, tenerum (“soft, delicate”).

Synonyms

nesh

This word in other languages

tierno(Español)tendre(Français)zart(Deutsch)terno(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • etnder
  • tedner
  • tendder
  • tenderr
  • tendre
  • tenedr
  • tennder
  • tneder
  • ttender

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tender - 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.

etnder2tedner2tendder1tenderr1tendre2tenedr2tennder1tneder2
Edit distance from "tender"

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 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "tender"?
"tender" is spelled T-E-N-D-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɛn.də(ɹ)/.
What does "tender" mean?
As an adjective, "tender" means: Sensitive or painful to the touch.
What words are commonly confused with "tender"?
"tender" is commonly confused with "tends", "tense", "tenor". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tender"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tender" is /ˈtɛn.də(ɹ)/. 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 "tender"?
From Middle English tender, tendere, from Anglo-Norman tender, Old French tendre, from Latin tener, tenerum (“soft, delicate”). 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 "tender", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

vacuum#6,197statue#6,186agrees#6,205roster#6,176

Similar misspelling depth

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

Rogers9 variantsbutler9 variantsMarcus9 variantscartoon9 variants

What to do next

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

  • "tender" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "tends". View pair
  • 9 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #6,192 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "T" letter cohort. T–Z browse

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