vend

/vɛnd/

//vɛnd// verb

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

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

The verdict

“vend” is uncommon English (frequency #95,576 among 969 “V” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#95,576
frequency rank, English
969
“V” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Synonym of sell, (now especially) to sell through a vending machine.

Corpus desk

Index EN-vend · vend · English

vend · rank #95,576 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #95,576
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 969
  • PHOTO-FINISH Varuna

Nearest frequency peer: Varuna (-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 “vend”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for vend
PropertyValue
Headwordvend
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/vɛnd/
Letters4
Frequency rank#95,576
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “vend” in English

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Varuna” (#95,573), “victuals” (#95,581), “utz” (#95,570). Among 969 “V” headwords, “vend” is #95,576. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

vend is uncommon English at frequency #95,576 among 969 “V” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /vɛnd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for vend, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: 17th century, likely a backformation from earlier vendible, vendee, vendor inspired by the underlying French vendre, from Old French vendre, from Latin vendere, from vēnum dāre (“to give (something for) sale”). The correct English form is vend, spelled V-E-N-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Synonym of sell, (now especially) to sell through a vending machine.
  2. 2
    To provide or export functionality, especially from an API.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. As there was a small establishment that vended tea and toast just across the road, it was reasonable that Partridge should officiate therein as Limpet's host, and so easily adjusted to necessity are the economics of a simple life, that two pots of tea, two plates of toast, tobacco, and one subject of conversation, kept them occupied contentedly till ten o…
  2. Vending has been slow to change partly because the business for years could depend on what it called the four C's: cold drinks, candy, confections and cigarettes.

Etymology

17th century, likely a backformation from earlier vendible, vendee, vendor inspired by the underlying French vendre, from Old French vendre, from Latin vendere, from vēnum dāre (“to give (something for) sale”).

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 "vend"?
"vend" is spelled V-E-N-D. The IPA pronunciation is /vɛnd/.
What does "vend" mean?
As a verb, "vend" means: Synonym of sell, (now especially) to sell through a vending machine.
How do you pronounce "vend"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "vend" is /vɛnd/. 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 "vend"?
17th century, likely a backformation from earlier vendible, vendee, vendor inspired by the underlying French vendre, from Old French vendre, from Latin vendere, from vēnum dāre (“to give (something for) sale”). 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 "vend", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

util#95,569Vyas#95,592Unas#95,554Umeå#95,551

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list