tempeh

/ˈtɛmpeɪ/

//ˈtɛmpeɪ// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"tempeh" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tempeh” is uncommon English (frequency #75,481 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#75,481
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An Indonesian food made from partially-cooked soybeans fermented by a fungus (either Rhizopus oligosporus or Rhizopus oryzae).

Corpus desk

Index EN-tempeh · tempeh · English

tempeh · rank #75,481 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #75,481
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tellingly

Nearest frequency peer: tellingly (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “tempeh”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “tempeh” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for tempeh
PropertyValue
Headwordtempeh
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɛmpeɪ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#75,481
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “tempeh” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).tempehfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “tellingly” (#75,480), “Tenby” (#75,482), “teleporter” (#75,478). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tempeh” is #75,481. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

tempeh is uncommon English at frequency #75,481 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈtɛmpeɪ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "An Indonesian food made from partially-cooked soybeans fermented by a fungus (either Rhizopus oligosporus or Rhizopus oryzae).".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for tempeh, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Indonesian tempe, possibly from Old Javanese tumpi (“a food made from starch and tempeh”), or Indonesian tapai (“fermentation”). The correct English form is tempeh, spelled T-E-M-P-E-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    An Indonesian food made from partially-cooked soybeans fermented by a fungus (either Rhizopus oligosporus or Rhizopus oryzae).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how tempeh appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Usually sporulation occurred when the tempeh had been exposed to air ( e.g. as the result of uncovering of the pan too frequently ) .
  2. Fresh or defrosted tempeh will keep 3 to 4 days in a refrigerator at 40°F, and at least 6 months or more in a freezer. When putting fresh tempeh into a refrigerator or freezer, don't stack the packages because heat from one package to another will encourage the culturing process to continue.

Etymology

From Indonesian tempe, possibly from Old Javanese tumpi (“a food made from starch and tempeh”), or Indonesian tapai (“fermentation”).

This word in other languages

tempeh(Français)Tempeh(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "tempeh"?
"tempeh" is spelled T-E-M-P-E-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɛmpeɪ/.
What does "tempeh" mean?
As a noun, "tempeh" means: An Indonesian food made from partially-cooked soybeans fermented by a fungus (either Rhizopus oligosporus or Rhizopus oryzae).
How do you pronounce "tempeh"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tempeh" is /ˈtɛmpeɪ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "tempeh"?
From Indonesian tempe, possibly from Old Javanese tumpi (“a food made from starch and tempeh”), or Indonesian tapai (“fermentation”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "tempeh", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

thresh#75,489Swales#75,464townie#75,499Sukhoi#75,456

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list