tendril
/ˈtɛn.dɹəl/
"tendril" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“tendril” is an uncommon English word, ranked #92,138 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #92,138
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A thin, spirally coiling stem that attaches a plant to its support.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | tendril |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈtɛn.dɹəl/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #92,138 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “tendril” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for tendril is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈtɛn.dɹəl/. Corpus data places it at rank #92,138 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for tendril, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French tendrillon (“bud, shoot, cartilage”), perhaps a diminutive of tendron (“cartilage”), from Old French tendre (“soft”) (see tender (adjective)), or else from Latin tendere (“to stretch, extend”) (see tender (verb)). The correct English form is tendril, spelled T-E-N-D-R-I-L.
Definition
- 1A thin, spirally coiling stem that attaches a plant to its support.
- 2A hair-like tentacle.
- 3Anything shaped like a tendril or coil.
Etymology
From Middle French tendrillon (“bud, shoot, cartilage”), perhaps a diminutive of tendron (“cartilage”), from Old French tendre (“soft”) (see tender (adjective)), or else from Latin tendere (“to stretch, extend”) (see tender (verb)).
This word in other languages
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
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Using “tendril”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is T-E-N-D-R-I-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈtɛn.dɹəl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.