Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

tender

/ˈtɛn.dɚ/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.09 in modern English

Syllables
ten-der
IPA
/ˈtɛn.dɚ/
7
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Sensitive or painful to the touch.

adj

Easily bruised or injured; not firm or hard; delicate.

adj

Physically weak; not able to endure hardship.

adj

Soft and easily chewed.

adj

Sensible to impression and pain; easily pained.

adj

Fond, loving, gentle, or sweet.

adj

Young and inexperienced.

adj

Adapted to excite feeling or sympathy; expressive of the softer passions; pathetic.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English tender, tendere, from Anglo-Norman tendre, Old French tendre, from Latin tener, tenerum (“soft, delicate”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈtɛn.dɚ/
  • British English: /ˈtɛn.dəː/

Usage

Inflected Forms

tenderer (comparative) tenderest (superlative) tenders (plural) more tender (comparative) most tender (superlative) tenders (present, singular) tendering (participle, present) tendered (participle, past) tendered (past)

Derived Forms

entender intender nontender overtender tenderfoot tenderfooted tenderful tenderhearted tenderise tenderize tenderish tenderization

Phrases

chicken tender fork-tender frost-tender tender-handed tender loving care tender porcelain tender years doctrine airship tender

Frequently Paired Words

legal tender put out to tender put out for tender

Synonyms

dinghy nesh offer affectionate fond lovesome sensitive sore raw

Homonyms

tinder (pin–pen merger)

Rhymes With

gender defender surrender transgender vendor render offender lender contender slender blender fender

Questions

How do you pronounce tender?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈtɛn.dɚ/.
What does tender mean?
Sensitive or painful to the touch.
Where does tender come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce tender

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “tender”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈtɛn.dɚ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “tender”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “tender” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.