temple

/ˈtɛm.pl̩/

//ˈtɛm.pl̩// noun

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

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

The verdict

“temple” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,339. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,339
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A house of worship, especially:

Corpus desk

Index EN-temple · temple · English

temple · rank #3,339 · 9 variants · 14 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,339
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 14 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH suffer

Nearest frequency peer: suffer (-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 “temple”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “temple” 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).

temple vs tempo
67% similar
temple vs tempt
67% similar
temple vs triple
67% similar

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

Key facts for temple
PropertyValue
Headwordtemple
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtɛm.pl̩/
Letters6
Frequency rank#3,339
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “temple”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).templelands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “suffer” (#3,338), “tracks” (#3,340), “successfully” (#3,337). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “temple” is #3,339. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around temple (IPA /ˈtɛm.pl̩/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,339 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for temple, with forms such as "etmple", "temlpe", and "temmple". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 14 confusable-pair relationships, "tempo", "tempt", "triple", 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 temple, from Old English templ, tempel, borrowed from Latin templum (“shrine, temple, area for auspices”). Compare Old High German tempal (“temple”), also a borrowing from the Latin. The correct English form is temple, spelled T-E-M-P-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A house of worship, especially:
  2. 2
    A house of worship, especially:
  3. 3
    A house of worship, especially:
  4. 4
    A meeting house of the Oddfellows fraternity; its members.
  5. 5
    Any place regarded as holding a religious presence.
  6. 6
    Any place seen as an important centre for some activity.
  7. 7
    Anything regarded as important or minutely cared for.
  8. 8
    A gesture wherein the forefingers are outstretched and touch pad to pad while the other fingers are clasped together.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The temple of Zeus was very large.
  2. As of October 1968 Lukang, which had a resident population of between 27,000 and 28,000 people, had 39 temples. It is my impression that Lukang has more temples than do most Taiwanese communities of equivalent size. By temple I mean a structure that houses an image, altar, and incense pot, and is freely accessible to the general public. In speaking of the…

Etymology

From Middle English temple, from Old English templ, tempel, borrowed from Latin templum (“shrine, temple, area for auspices”). Compare Old High German tempal (“temple”), also a borrowing from the Latin.

Synonyms

house of worshipplace of worshipfanetempleshrine

This word in other languages

templo(Español)temple(Français)Tempel(Deutsch)templo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • etmple
  • temlpe
  • temmple
  • tempel
  • templle
  • tempple
  • tepmle
  • tmeple
  • ttemple

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of temple - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

etmple2temlpe2temmple1tempel2templle1tempple1tepmle2tmeple2
Edit distance from "temple"

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 "temple"?
"temple" is spelled T-E-M-P-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɛm.pl̩/.
What does "temple" mean?
As a noun, "temple" means: A house of worship, especially:
What words are commonly confused with "temple"?
"temple" is commonly confused with "tempo", "tempt", "triple". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "temple"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "temple" is /ˈtɛm.pl̩/. 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 "temple"?
From Middle English temple, from Old English templ, tempel, borrowed from Latin templum (“shrine, temple, area for auspices”). Compare Old High German tempal (“temple”), also a borrowing from the Latin. 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 "temple", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

suffer#3,338tracks#3,340spoken#3,336silent#3,335

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

unusual9 variantsselect9 variantsrating9 variantsphones9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list