tempt

/tɛmpt/

//tɛmpt// verb

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

"tempt" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tempt” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #21,957. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#21,957
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To provoke someone to do wrong, especially by promising a reward; to entice.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tempt · tempt · English

tempt · rank #21,957 · 8 variants · 14 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #21,957
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-MID 14 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH Tasmanian

Nearest frequency peer: Tasmanian (-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 “tempt”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “tempt” 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).

tempt vs tet
60% similar
tempt vs test
60% similar
tempt vs text
60% similar

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

Key facts for tempt
PropertyValue
Headwordtempt
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/tɛmpt/
Letters5
Frequency rank#21,957
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tempt”

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).temptlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Tasmanian” (#21,956), “terminating” (#21,958), “synergy” (#21,954). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tempt” is #21,957. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around tempt (IPA /tɛmpt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #21,957 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for tempt, with forms such as "etmpt", "temmpt", and "temppt". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 14 confusable-pair relationships, "tet", "test", "text", 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 tempten, from Old French tempter (French: tenter), from Latin temptare, from tentare (“to handle, touch, try, test, tempt”), frequentative of tendere (“to stretch”). Displaced native English costning (“temptation”). The correct English form is tempt, spelled T-E-M-P-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To provoke someone to do wrong, especially by promising a reward; to entice.
  2. 2
    To attract; to allure.
  3. 3
    To provoke something; to court.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. She tempted me to eat the apple.
  2. By Heav’ns, ſuch Virtues, join’d with ſuch Succeſs, Diſtract my very Soul: Our Father’s Fortune Wou’d almoſt tempt us to renounce his Precepts.

Etymology

From Middle English tempten, from Old French tempter (French: tenter), from Latin temptare, from tentare (“to handle, touch, try, test, tempt”), frequentative of tendere (“to stretch”). Displaced native English costning (“temptation”).

This word in other languages

tentar(Español)tenter(Français)versuchen(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • etmpt
  • temmpt
  • temppt
  • temptt
  • temtp
  • tepmt
  • tmept
  • ttempt

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tempt - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

etmpt2temmpt1temppt1temptt1temtp2tepmt2tmept2ttempt1
Edit distance from "tempt"

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 "tempt"?
"tempt" is spelled T-E-M-P-T. The IPA pronunciation is /tɛmpt/.
What does "tempt" mean?
As a verb, "tempt" means: To provoke someone to do wrong, especially by promising a reward; to entice.
What words are commonly confused with "tempt"?
"tempt" is commonly confused with "tet", "test", "text". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tempt"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tempt" is /tɛmpt/. 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 "tempt"?
From Middle English tempten, from Old French tempter (French: tenter), from Latin temptare, from tentare (“to handle, touch, try, test, tempt”), frequentative of tendere (“to stretch”). Displaced native English costning (“temptation”). 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 "tempt", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Vicki#21,973whiff#21,978serge#21,925Aryan#22,000

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Saigon8 variantsSabine8 variantsbling8 variantsbunnies8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list