tempered

adj

"tempered" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tempered” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,438. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,438
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having a specified disposition or temper.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tempered · tempered · English

tempered · rank #14,438 · 12 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,438
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH televised

Nearest frequency peer: televised (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “tempered”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “tempered” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

tempered vs tempted
75% similar
tempered vs tethered
75% similar
tempered vs temper
75% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for tempered
PropertyValue
Headwordtempered
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters8
Frequency rank#14,438
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tempered”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “televised” (#14,437), “tertiary” (#14,439), “Tasmania” (#14,436). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tempered” is #14,438. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around tempered, anadjective. Corpus frequency is #14,438 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for tempered, with forms such as "etmpered", "temepred", and "temmpered". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "tempted", "tethered", "temper", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English tempred, itempered, ytempred, ytemprid, from Old English ġetemprod (“tempered, moderate, goverened, cured”), past participle of Old English ġetemprian (“to temper, moderate, govern, cure”), equivalent to temper + -ed. The correct English form is tempered, spelled T-E-M-P-E-R-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having a specified disposition or temper.
  2. 2
    Pertaining to the metallurgical process for finishing metals.
  3. 3
    Pertaining to the industrial process for toughening glass, or to such toughened glass.
  4. 4
    Moderated or balanced by other considerations.
  5. 5
    Pertaining to the well-tempered scale, where the twelve notes per octave of the standard keyboard are tuned in such a way that it is possible to play music in any major or minor key and it will not sound perceptibly out of tune.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. even-tempered
  2. The Pyncheon Elm, throughout its great circumference, was all alive, and full of the morning sun and a sweet-tempered little breeze, which lingered within this verdant sphere, and set a thousand leafy tongues a-whispering all at once. This aged tree appeared to have suffered nothing from the gale.

Etymology

From Middle English tempred, itempered, ytempred, ytemprid, from Old English ġetemprod (“tempered, moderate, goverened, cured”), past participle of Old English ġetemprian (“to temper, moderate, govern, cure”), equivalent to temper + -ed.

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • etmpered
  • temepred
  • temmpered
  • tempeerd
  • temperde
  • temperedd
  • temperred
  • temppered
  • tempreed
  • tepmered
  • tmepered
  • ttempered

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tempered - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

etmpered2temepred2temmpered1tempeerd2temperde2temperedd1temperred1temppered1
Edit distance from "tempered"

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 "tempered"?
"tempered" is spelled T-E-M-P-E-R-E-D.
What does "tempered" mean?
As an adjective, "tempered" means: Having a specified disposition or temper.
What words are commonly confused with "tempered"?
"tempered" is commonly confused with "tempted", "tethered", "temper". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "tempered"?
From Middle English tempred, itempered, ytempred, ytemprid, from Old English ġetemprod (“tempered, moderate, goverened, cured”), past participle of Old English ġetemprian (“to temper, moderate, govern, cure”), equivalent to temper + -ed. 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 "tempered", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list