tempting

/ˈtɛmp.tɪŋ/

//ˈtɛmp.tɪŋ// adj

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

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

The verdict

“tempting” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,152. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,152
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Attractive, appealing, enticing.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tempting · tempting · English

tempting · rank #12,152 · 13 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,152
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tasting

Nearest frequency peer: tasting (-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 “tempting”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “tempting” 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).

tempting vs testing
75% similar
tempting vs texting
75% similar

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

Key facts for tempting
PropertyValue
Headwordtempting
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈtɛmp.tɪŋ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#12,152
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tempting”

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).temptinglands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “tasting” (#12,151), “terminate” (#12,153), “sway” (#12,150). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tempting” is #12,152. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around tempting (IPA /ˈtɛmp.tɪŋ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #12,152 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for tempting, with forms such as "etmpting", "temmpting", and "tempitng". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "testing", "texting", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct English form is tempting, spelled T-E-M-P-T-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Attractive, appealing, enticing.
  2. 2
    Seductive, alluring, inviting.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. It is tempting to speculate about the incentives or compulsions that might explain why anyone would take to the skies in [the] basket [of a balloon]: perhaps out of a desire to escape the gravity of this world or to get a preview of the next; […].

Synonyms

slinky

This word in other languages

tentador(Español)tentant(Français)verführerisch(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • etmpting
  • temmpting
  • tempitng
  • temppting
  • temptign
  • temptingg
  • temptinng
  • temptnig
  • temptting
  • temtping
  • tepmting
  • tmepting
  • ttempting

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of tempting - 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.

etmpting2temmpting1tempitng2temppting1temptign2temptingg1temptinng1temptnig2
Edit distance from "tempting"

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 "tempting"?
"tempting" is spelled T-E-M-P-T-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtɛmp.tɪŋ/.
What does "tempting" mean?
As an adjective, "tempting" means: Attractive, appealing, enticing.
What words are commonly confused with "tempting"?
"tempting" is commonly confused with "testing", "texting". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tempting"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tempting" is /ˈtɛmp.tɪŋ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "tempting" come from?
"tempting" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 "tempting", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Trinidad#12,158simplest#12,141woodland#12,171ruthless#12,132

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

terminate13 variantsundermine13 variantsaccustomed13 variantspreseason13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list