tempting
/ˈtɛmp.tɪŋ/adjective, noun, verb
tempting is spelled T-E-M-P-T-I-N-G: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 4.5 times per million words in written English, the 12,045th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, tempting means “Attractive, appealing, enticing” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in tempting?
| Letters | 8: T-E-M-P-T-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 4.5 times per million words; the 12,045th 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 tempting?
Tempting appears 4.5 times per million words in written English, the 12,045th 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 tempting?
- US /ˈtɛmp.tɪŋ/
Tempting has 2 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: En-us-tempting.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of tempting
- more tempting comparative
- most tempting superlative
- temptings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tempting mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Attractive, appealing, enticing.
- 2
Seductive, alluring, inviting.
noun
- 1
The act of subjecting somebody to temptation.
If God doth suffer his own people and dearest children to be exposed to Satan's temptings and winnowings; Why should any man then doubt of his childship, doubt of his own everlasting condition, and say, that he is none of the child of God b
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of tempt
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tempting in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | tentant |
| German | verführerisch, verlockend, attraktiv , einladend |
| Portuguese | tentador |
| Spanish | tentador |
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.