temovstempsWhich spelling fits?

Quick tell: temo is a verb, temps is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“temo” is a verb and “temps” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#5,898
“temo” frequency rank
#38,991
“temps” frequency rank
44889
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature temo temps
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de temar. Tiempo

Where the eye mixes temo and temps

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

4 ch
temo
5 ch
temps

Why the eye confuses temo with temps

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: temo is [ˈt̪emo] while temps is [ˈtems]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44889, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

temo is recorded at frequency rank #5,898, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈt̪emo]. temps is at rank #38,991, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈtems].

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 44889, this pair ranks #134,547 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of temo vs temps

Shared letters: emt. Private to "temo": o. Private to "temps": ps.

"temo" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "temps" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • temoetmo · temmo · teom · tmeo · ttemo
  • tempsetmps · temmps · tempps · tempss · temsp · tepms · tmeps · ttemps

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "temo" and "temps" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "temo" is a verb and "temps" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "temo" or "temps"?
"temo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,898 in our Spanish list, against #38,991 for "temps". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "temo" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "temps" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #134,547 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "temo" and "temps" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tamos vs temps". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #134,547 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list