# tempo

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈtɛm.pəʊ/ · frequency rank #10,621

## Definitions
1. A frequency or rate.
2. A move which is part of one's own plan or strategy and forces, e.g. by means of a check or attacking a piece, the opponent to make a move which is not bad but of no use (the player gains a tempo, the opponent loses a tempo), or equivalently a player achieves the same result in fewer moves by one approach rather than another.
3. The timing advantage of being on lead, thus being first to initiate a strategy to develop tricks for one's side.
4. The timing of a particular event – earlier or later than in an alternative situation (as in chess example)
5. The number of beats per minute in a piece of music; also, an indicative term denoting approximate rate of speed in written music (examples: allegro, andante)
6. The steady pace set by the frontmost riders.
7. A small truck or cargo van with three or four wheels, commonly used for commercial transport and deliveries (particularly in Asian and African countries).
8. A rapid rate of play by the offense resulting from reducing the amount of time which elapses after one play ends and the next starts.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Italian tempo, from Latin tempus (“time”). Doublet of tense.
(truck or cargo van): A genericized trademark, originally associated with the manufacturer Vidal & Sohn Tempo-Werke GmbH.

## Easily confused with
- **Teo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tempo-vs-teo)
- **typo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tempo-vs-typo)
- **tempt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tempo-vs-tempt)
- **temp** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/temp-vs-tempo)
- **Tampa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tampa-vs-tempo)
- **Tempe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tempe-vs-tempo)
- **telco** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/telco-vs-tempo)
- **temple** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/temple-vs-tempo)
- **temper** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/temper-vs-tempo)
- **teapot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/teapot-vs-tempo)
- **tampon** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tampon-vs-tempo)

## Common misspellings (7)
`etmpo`, `temmpo`, `temop`, `temppo`, `tepmo`, `tmepo`, `ttempo`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/tempo