applaud vs commend

applaud

verb
  • To praise, or express approval for something or someone. 

  • To express approval (of something) by clapping the hands. 

commend

verb
  • To praise or acclaim. 

  • To recommend. 

  • To entrust or commit to the care of someone else. 

  • To mention by way of courtesy, implying remembrance and goodwill. 

  • To congratulate or reward. 

How often have the words applaud and commend occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )