Correct spelling, explanation: tenere is the Latin origin of the word. The form tenant that we know today appeared for the first time in Old French and from there it came into Middle English. The most fundamental meaning of the word is holding, which perfectly reflects the modern meaning of the word. It is used as a noun most commonly, but it can function as a verb, too.

Definition of tenant:
1. noun – it refers to someone who pays the rent to the owner of a property in order to use it,
The last tenant left the flat in a shabby condition so the landlord had to do it up.
2. verb – to use some property as a tenant,
The building was tenanted by an international company.

Common expressions with tenant:
Some typical collocations with the word tenant include current tenant, law-income tenant, and commercial tenant.

Other popular expressions with tenant:
1. sitting tenant – refers to someone who owns a legal right to use the rented property.
2. anchor tenant – refers to a large and successful company that rents some part of a bigger property as the first one and then attracts other potential tenants.
3. life tenant – a person who by law can rent a property as long as he or she lives.

Incorrect spelling, explanation: both native speakers of English and learners make these common spelling mistakes. It results from the fact that there are two -n letters close to each other and the schwa sound between them is often so weakly heard that some assume that there are only two letters -n. The form tennant, however, is wrong so don’t use it.