temporal
/ˈtɛm.pə.ɹəl/adjective, noun
temporal is spelled T-E-M-P-O-R-A-L: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 4.3 times per million words in written English, the 12,397th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, temporal means “Of or relating to the material world, as opposed to sacred or clerical” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in temporal?
| Letters | 8: T-E-M-P-O-R-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 4.3 times per million words; the 12,397th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is temporal?
Temporal appears 4.3 times per million words in written English, the 12,397th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce temporal?
- /ˈtɛm.pə.ɹəl/
Temporal has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-temporal.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of temporal
- more temporal comparative
- most temporal superlative
- temporals plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does temporal mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of or relating to the material world, as opposed to sacred or clerical.
temporal power, temporal courts
- 2
Of limited time, transient, passing, not perpetual, as opposed to eternal.
- 3
Lasting for a short time only.
- 4
Of or relating to time as distinguished from space.
- 5
Of or relating to the sequence of time or to a particular time.
- 6
Relating to or denoting time or tense.
- 7
Of or situated in the temples of the head or the sides of the skull behind the orbits.
noun
- 1
Anything temporal or secular; a temporality.
- 2
Ellipsis of temporal bone.
- 3
Any of a reptile's scales on the side of the head between the parietal and supralabial scales, and behind the postocular scales.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Temporal in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | temporel , temporaire |
| German | diesseitig, weltlich , zeitweilig, vorübergehend , zeitlich, temporal |
| Portuguese | temporal , temporário |
| Spanish | temporal |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does temporal come from?
From Middle English temporal, temporel (“transitory, worldly, material, of secular society”), from Old French temporel or Latin temporālis (“of time (in grammar), temporary, relating to time as opposed to eternity”), from tempus (“time, period, opportunity”) + -ālis.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).