tender
ten·der/ˈtɛn.dɚ/adjective, noun, adverb, verb
tender is spelled T-E-N-D-E-R: 6 letters and 2 syllables (ten·der). It appears 12 times per million words in written English, the 6,138th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “tender vs tinder” about 170 times a month (Google, United States). As an adjective, tender means “Sensitive or painful to the touch” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in tender?
| Letters | 6: T-E-N-D-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: ten·der |
| In writing | 12 times per million words; the 6,138th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Rhymes with |
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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is tender?
Tender appears 12 times per million words in written English, the 6,138th 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 tender?
- UK /ˈtɛn.dəː/
- UK [ˈtʰɛn.dəː]
- US /ˈtɛn.dɚ/
Tender has 2 syllables, split ten·der in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-tender.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with tender
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with tender?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as tender from its last stressed vowel (/ɛndəɹ/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of tender
- tenderer comparative
- tenderest superlative
- tenders plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- more tender comparative
- most tender superlative
- tendering participle, present
- tendered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tender mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Sensitive or painful to the touch.
- 2
Easily bruised or injured; not firm or hard; delicate.
tender plants
- 3
Physically weak; not able to endure hardship.
- 4
Soft and easily chewed.
The Matrix is telling my brain this steak is tender, succulent, and juicy.
- 5
Sensible to impression and pain; easily pained.
- 6
Fond, loving, gentle, or sweet.
Suzanne was such a tender mother to her children.
- 7
Young and inexperienced.
I first had a girlfriend at the tender age of seven.
- 8
Adapted to excite feeling or sympathy; expressive of the softer passions; pathetic.
tender expressions; tender expostulations; a tender strain
noun
- 1
obsoleteCare, kind concern, regard.
- 2
The inner flight muscle (pectoralis minor) of poultry.
- 3
A specialized rail wagon hauled behind a steam engine to carry fuel and water.
- 4
A naval ship that functions as a mobile base for other ships.
submarine tender
- 5
A smaller boat used for transportation between a large ship and the shore.
- 6
A member of a diving team who assists a diver during a dive but does not themselves go underwater.
- 7
Ellipsis of water tender (“firefighting apparatus”).
- 8
Someone who tends or waits on something or someone.
- 9
Anything which is offered, proffered, put forth or bid with the expectation of a response, answer, or reply.
You offer me the sword of my father, the very man whose bones, because of your perfidy, lie under the sod of Crecy. Aye, I'll surely take it, and just as surely you shall die with your tender through your heart!
- 10
A means of payment such as a check or cheque, cash or credit card.
Your credit card has been declined so you need to provide some other tender such as cash.
- 11
A formal offer to buy or sell something.
We will submit our tender to you within the week.
- 12
Any offer or proposal made for acceptance.
adverb
- 1
tenderly
verb
- 1
To work on a tender.
- 2
To offer, to give.
to tender one’s resignation
- 3
To offer a payment, as at sales or auctions; to bid.
- 4
archaicTo make tender or delicate; to weaken.
To such as are wealthy, live plenteously, at ease, […] these viands are to be forborne, if they be inclined to, or suspect melancholy, as they tender their healths […].
- 5
archaicTo feel tenderly towards; to regard fondly or with consideration.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tender in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | tendre, sensible , moyen de paiement , offre |
| German | zart, empfindlich, sensibel , Zahlungsmittel , nachgiebig , Tender |
| Portuguese | terno , lance, licitação , macio, tenro , tênder |
| Spanish | tierno, dolorido , vagón nodriza, ténder , cariñoso , esquife |
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 tender come from?
From Middle English tender, tendere, from Anglo-Norman tendre, Old French tendre, from Latin tener, tenerum (“soft, delicate”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).