tendon

/ˈtɛn.dən/

//ˈtɛn.dən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“tendon” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,483. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,483
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A tough band of flexible but inelastic fibrous collagen tissue that connects a muscle with its bony attachment and transmits the force which the muscle exerts.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tendon · tendon · English

tendon · rank #19,483 · 9 variants · 11 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #19,483
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 11 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tanning

Nearest frequency peer: tanning (-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 “tendon”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “tendon” 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).

tendon vs tends
67% similar
tendon vs tenor
67% similar
tendon vs Teton
50% similar

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

Key facts for tendon
PropertyValue
Headwordtendon
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɛn.dən/
Letters6
Frequency rank#19,483
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tendon”

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).tendonlands 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 “tanning” (#19,482), “THC” (#19,484), “T2” (#19,481). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tendon” is #19,483. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around tendon (IPA /ˈtɛn.dən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #19,483 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for tendon, with forms such as "etndon", "tednon", and "tenddon". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 11 confusable-pair relationships, "tends", "tenor", "Teton", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French tendon or Medieval Latin tendō, from Ancient Greek τένων (ténōn, “sinew, tendon”), modified by association with the verb tendō (“to stretch”). Compare Middle English thenoun. The correct English form is tendon, spelled T-E-N-D-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A tough band of flexible but inelastic fibrous collagen tissue that connects a muscle with its bony attachment and transmits the force which the muscle exerts.
  2. 2
    The hamstring of a quadruped.
  3. 3
    A wire or bar used to strengthen prestressed concrete.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. I hear a wrenching sound of tendons stretching and testing their anchors on the bone.

Etymology

Borrowed from French tendon or Medieval Latin tendō, from Ancient Greek τένων (ténōn, “sinew, tendon”), modified by association with the verb tendō (“to stretch”). Compare Middle English thenoun.

This word in other languages

tendón(Español)tendon(Français)Sehne(Deutsch)tendão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • etndon
  • tednon
  • tenddon
  • tendno
  • tendonn
  • tenndon
  • tenodn
  • tnedon
  • ttendon

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

etndon2tednon2tenddon1tendno2tendonn1tenndon1tenodn2tnedon2
Edit distance from "tendon"

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 "tendon"?
"tendon" is spelled T-E-N-D-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɛn.dən/.
What does "tendon" mean?
As a noun, "tendon" means: A tough band of flexible but inelastic fibrous collagen tissue that connects a muscle with its bony attachment and transmits the force which the muscle exerts.
What words are commonly confused with "tendon"?
"tendon" is commonly confused with "tends", "tenor", "Teton". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tendon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tendon" is /ˈtɛn.dən/. 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 "tendon"?
Borrowed from French tendon or Medieval Latin tendō, from Ancient Greek τένων (ténōn, “sinew, tendon”), modified by association with the verb tendō (“to stretch”). Compare Middle English thenoun. 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 "tendon", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

strung#19,478Tracey#19,489steaks#19,474uptown#19,496

Similar misspelling depth

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

tanning9 variantsWillard9 variantsScooby9 variantsrushes9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list