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temp

/tɛmp/noun, verb, adverb, adjective

temp is spelled T-E-M-P: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 5.6 times per million words in written English, the 10,358th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, temp means “Clipping of temperature” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of temp is temps.

How many letters and syllables are in temp?

Letters4: T-E-M-P
Syllables1 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing5.6 times per million words; the 10,358th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How common is temp?

Temp appears 5.6 times per million words in written English, the 10,358th most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce temp?

  • /tɛmp/

Temp has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-temp.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of temp

  • temps plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • temping participle, present
  • temped participle, past
  • tem.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does temp mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    Clipping of temperature.

  2. 2

    informalSynonym of temporary (“short-term employee”).

  3. 3

    informalSynonym of temporary (“short-term variable”).

verb

  1. 1

    To measure or check the temperature of something, especially food or equipment in a commercial kitchen.

  2. 2

    informalTo work as a temporary employee.

    --I temp for money, but it's not my main thing. I write plays.

noun

as TEMP
  1. 1

    Abbreviation of test and evaluation master plan

adverb

  1. 1

    Alternative form of temp. (“in the time of”).

adjective

  1. 1

    Abbreviation of temporary.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Temp in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchemployé temporaire, employée temporaire, intérimaire (temporary employee)
GermanLeiharbeiter, Leiharbeiterin (temporary employee), jobben (to work as a temporary employee)
Spanishtemporero (temporary employee), trabajar temporáneamente, chambear temporariamente, laburar temporeramente (to work as a temporary employee)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does temp come from?

Clipping of temperature.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

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