tendu

\tɑ̃.dy\

/\tɑ̃.dy\/ adj

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

The verdict

“tendu” has 7 generated spelling variants in the French index at frequency #6,247. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,247
frequency rank, French
3,703
“T” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Qui subit une tension (arc, élastique, ressort, etc.).

Corpus desk

Index FR-tendu · tendu · French

tendu · rank #6,247 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,247
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,703
  • PHOTO-FINISH technologique

Nearest frequency peer: technologique (-1 rank slots)

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.

Pairs de rang près de l'aimant d'erreurs « tendu »

Même bande de rareté: utile si une faute tombe sur un lemme voisin

corpus weight

What this shows « tendu » siège parmi ces pairs FrequencyWords; la profondeur des fautes est suivie à part dans le graphique d'édition.

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).

tendu vs tenu
80% similar
tendu vs têtu
40% similar
tendu vs tenir
60% similar

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

Key facts for tendu
PropertyValue
Headwordtendu
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\tɑ̃.dy\
Letters5
Frequency rank#6,247
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Fréquence de l'aimant d'erreurs « tendu »

De gauche à droite: le peu qui porte la parole quotidienne, puis la longue queue quasi invisible.tenduse place ici:

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

L'axe est logarithmique: chaque tic marque environ dix fois moins de fréquence. Dans la même bande de rareté figurent « technologique » (#6,246), « symboles » (#6,245), « torture » (#6,249). Parmi 3,703 lemmes en « T », « tendu » est au #6,247. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around tendu (IPA \tɑ̃.dy\), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #6,247 among 3,703 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for tendu, with forms such as "etndu", "tednu", and "tenddu". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "tenu", "têtu", "tenir", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is tendu, spelled T-E-N-D-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qui subit une tension (arc, élastique, ressort, etc.).
  2. 2
    Qui exerce un effort en parlant des muscles, du corps.
  3. 3
    Arrondi, enflé, œdémateux, turgescent.
  4. 4
    Qui subit une tension intellectuelle, concentré, attentif, intense, en parlant de l’esprit, d’une personnalité, etc.
  5. 5
    Qui exprime cette tension intellectuelle.
  6. 6
    Qui subit une tension nerveuse, angoissé, anxieux, énervé, soucieux, nerveux.
  7. 7
    Qui marque un tempérament tourmenté, un état d’énervement.
  8. 8
    Compliqué.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. L’élastique est tendu.
  2. Le buste tendu comme un arc, les reins cambrés, la jambe allongée et levée en arrière.

Synonyms

bandéétiré

Antonyms

détenduflasquelâcherelâchécalmedécontractédétendupaisibleserein

This word in other languages

tense(English)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • etndu
  • tednu
  • tenddu
  • tenndu
  • tenud
  • tnedu
  • ttendu

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

etndu2tednu2tenddu1tenndu1tenud2tnedu2ttendu1
Edit distance from "tendu"

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 "tendu"?
"tendu" is spelled T-E-N-D-U. The IPA pronunciation is \tɑ̃.dy\.
What does "tendu" mean?
As an adjective, "tendu" means: Qui subit une tension (arc, élastique, ressort, etc.).
What words are commonly confused with "tendu"?
"tendu" is commonly confused with "tenu", "têtu", "tenir". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tendu"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tendu" is \tɑ̃.dy\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "tendu" come from?
"tendu" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 French words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "tendu", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked French headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

tueur#6,251vides#6,253vieil#6,254volet#6,256

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

verrez7 variantsâgées7 variantsporto7 variantspatrie7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list