templarvstemplesTell them apart

Which to use

“templar” and “temples” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#24,613
“templar” frequency rank
#11,308
“temples” frequency rank
35921
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature templar temples
Definition A barrister having chambers in the Inner Temple or Middle Temple. plural of temple

Where the eye mixes templar and temples

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

7 ch
templar
7 ch
temples

Visual trap between templar and temples

A purely visual mix-up. templar (/ˈtemplər/) and temples (/ˈtɛmpl̩z/) 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 35921, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

templar is recorded at frequency rank #24,613, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈtemplər/. temples is at rank #11,308, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈtɛmpl̩z/.

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 35921, this pair ranks #307,757 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of templar vs temples

Shared letters: elmpt. Private to "templar": ar. Private to "temples": s.

"templar" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC  ·  "temples" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • templaretmplar · temlpar · temmplar · tempalr · templarr · templlar · templra · tempplar
  • templesetmples · temlpes · temmples · tempels · templess · templles · templse · tempples

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "templar" and "temples" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈtemplər/ versus /ˈtɛmpl̩z/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "templar" or "temples"?
"temples" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,308 in our English list, against #24,613 for "templar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "templar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "temples" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #307,757 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "templar" and "temples" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tamales vs temples". 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 #307,757 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list