tempera

/ˈtɛmpəɹə/

//ˈtɛmpəɹə// noun

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

"tempera" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tempera” is uncommon English (frequency #58,409 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#58,409
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A paint in which the pigments are suspended in a water-soluble emulsion, such as of egg yolk or gelatine, which hardens and becomes insoluble on exposure to air.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tempera · tempera · English

tempera · rank #58,409 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #58,409
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH temerity

Nearest frequency peer: temerity (-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 “tempera”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for tempera
PropertyValue
Headwordtempera
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɛmpəɹə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#58,409
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “tempera” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).temperafalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “temerity” (#58,408), “Teigen” (#58,407), “Theodosius” (#58,411). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tempera” is #58,409. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

tempera is uncommon English at frequency #58,409 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈtɛmpəɹə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for tempera in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Italian tempera. The correct English form is tempera, spelled T-E-M-P-E-R-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A paint in which the pigments are suspended in a water-soluble emulsion, such as of egg yolk or gelatine, which hardens and becomes insoluble on exposure to air.
  2. 2
    The artistic technique of painting in this medium.
  3. 3
    A painting done in this medium.

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian tempera.

This word in other languages

témpera(Español)tempera(Français)Tempera(Deutsch)têmpera(Português)

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 "tempera"?
"tempera" is spelled T-E-M-P-E-R-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɛmpəɹə/.
What does "tempera" mean?
As a noun, "tempera" means: A paint in which the pigments are suspended in a water-soluble emulsion, such as of egg yolk or gelatine, which hardens and becomes insoluble on exposure to air.
How do you pronounce "tempera"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tempera" is /ˈtɛmpəɹə/. 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 "tempera"?
Borrowed from Italian tempera. 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 "tempera", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

technic#58,405tigress#58,414tannery#58,401Svoboda#58,398

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list