tenace

\tə.nas\

/\tə.nas\/ adj

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

The verdict

“tenace” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #19,698 in French word frequency and used as an adjective.

#19,698
frequency rank, French
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
19
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Qui est adhérent ; qui tient fortement à quelque chose.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

tenace vs tente
67% similar
tenace vs trace
67% similar
tenace vs tende
67% similar

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

Key facts for tenace
PropertyValue
Headwordtenace
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\tə.nas\
Letters6
Frequency rank#19,698
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs19
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tenace” sits in French 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). tenace lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for tenace is 6 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \tə.nas\. Corpus data places it at rank #19,698 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for tenace, with forms such as "etnace", "teance", and "tenacce". 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 19 confusable-pair relationships, "tente", "trace", "tende", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is tenace, spelled T-E-N-A-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qui est adhérent ; qui tient fortement à quelque chose.
  2. 2
    Qualifie les plantes et des parties de plantes qui s’attachent, s’accrochent à ce qui les touche, telles que les tiges et les semences du grateron.
  3. 3
    Dont les parties tiennent fortement ensemble, qui peut soutenir une traction, une pression considérable sans s’allonger, sans se rompre.
  4. 4
    Dont on ne peut pas se débarrasser ; qui persiste.
  5. 5
    Qualifie une personne dont on ne peut se défaire, qu’on ne peut écarter.
  6. 6
    Qui est attaché fortement à ses idées, à ses projets, à ses prétentions.
  7. 7
    Qui ne donne qu’avec peine ; avare.

This word in other languages

tenacious(English)acérrimo(Español)tenaz(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: etnace,teance,tenacce,tenaec,tencae,tennace,tneace,ttenace

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tenace - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

etnace2teance2tenacce1tenaec2tencae2tennace1tneace2ttenace1
Edit distance from "tenace"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "tenace"?
"tenace" is spelled T-E-N-A-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is \tə.nas\.
What does "tenace" mean?
As an adjective, "tenace" means: Qui est adhérent ; qui tient fortement à quelque chose.
What words are commonly confused with "tenace"?
"tenace" is commonly confused with "tente", "trace", "tende". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tenace"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tenace" is \tə.nas\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "tenace" come from?
"tenace" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

Using “tenace”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is T-E-N-A-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \tə.nas\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “tente” - see the side-by-side comparison. tenace vs tente
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list