Which to use
“tend” is a verb and “ténue” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,709
- “tend” frequency rank
- #48,245
- “ténue” frequency rank
- 53954
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tend | ténue |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Troisième personne du singulier de l’indicatif présent de tendre. | Féminin singulier de ténu. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set tend and ténue apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: tend is \tɑ̃\ while ténue is \te.ny\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53954, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tend is recorded at frequency rank #5,709, classified as averb, pronounced \tɑ̃\. ténue is at rank #48,245, tagged as anadj, pronounced \te.ny\.
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 53954, this pair ranks #137,319 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of tend vs ténue
Shared letters: ent. Private to "tend": d. Private to "ténue": ué.
"tend" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "ténue" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- tend ← etnd · tedn · tendd · tennd · tned · ttend
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "tend" and "ténue" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "tend" or "ténue"?
Remembering tend vs ténue
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “tend”; for an adjective, it's “ténue”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “tend” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable