Which to use
“Tempel” and “Teufel” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,657
- “Tempel” frequency rank
- #3,341
- “Teufel” frequency rank
- 7998
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Tempel | Teufel |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ein einer Gottheit geweihtes, nichtchristliches Gebäude, das der Ausübung einer Religion dient | böses Geisterwesen |
Where the eye mixes Tempel and Teufel
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Tempel (CVCCVC) and Teufel (CVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between Tempel and Teufel
A purely visual mix-up. Tempel ([ˈtɛmpl̩]) and Teufel ([ˈtɔɪ̯fl̩]) 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 7998, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Tempel is recorded at frequency rank #4,657, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈtɛmpl̩]. Teufel is at rank #3,341, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈtɔɪ̯fl̩].
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 7998, this pair ranks #1,986,021 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Tempel vs Teufel
Shared letters: elt. Private to "Tempel": mp. Private to "Teufel": fu.
"Tempel" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "Teufel" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Tempel" and "Teufel" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Tempel" or "Teufel"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Tempel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Teufel" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,986,021 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Tempel" and "Teufel" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Tempel vs Tümpel". 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 #1,986,021 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.