Which to use
“tenaces” and “tendues” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,563
- “tenaces” frequency rank
- #20,004
- “tendues” frequency rank
- 58567
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tenaces | tendues |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de tenace. | Féminin pluriel de tendu. |
Where the eye mixes tenaces and tendues
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. tenaces (CVCVCVC) and tendues (CVCCVVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: tenaces vs tendues
A purely visual mix-up. tenaces (\tə.nas\) and tendues (\tɑ̃.dy\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58567, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tenaces is recorded at frequency rank #38,563, classified as anadj, pronounced \tə.nas\. tendues is at rank #20,004, tagged as anadj, pronounced \tɑ̃.dy\.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 58567, this pair ranks #108,309 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of tenaces vs tendues
Shared letters: enst. Private to "tenaces": ac. Private to "tendues": du.
"tenaces" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "tendues" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "tenaces" for "tendues" ever safe?
Which is more common, "tenaces" or "tendues"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "tenaces" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tendues" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #108,309 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tenaces" and "tendues" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tenaces vs tentées". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #108,309 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.