tempvstempeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“temp” and “tempe” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#26,891
“temp” frequency rank
#23,706
“tempe” frequency rank
50597
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature temp tempe
Definition Intérimaire (suppléant, employé embauché pour une courte durée). Partie latérale de la tête entre l’oreille et le front.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set temp and tempe apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
temp
5 ch
tempe

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. temp (\tɛmp\) and tempe (\tɑ̃p\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “temp” sits inside “tempe”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50597, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

temp is recorded at frequency rank #26,891, classified as anoun, pronounced \tɛmp\. tempe is at rank #23,706, tagged as anoun, pronounced \tɑ̃p\.

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 50597, this pair ranks #161,415 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of temp vs tempe

Shared letters: empt. Private to "temp": -. Private to "tempe": -.

"temp" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "tempe" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tempetmp · temmp · tempp · tepm · tmep · ttemp
  • tempeetmpe · temep · temmpe · temppe · tepme · tmepe · ttempe

Frequency comparison

temp#26,891
tempe#23,706

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "temp" and "tempe" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\tɛmp\ versus \tɑ̃p\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "temp" or "tempe"?
"tempe" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,706 in our French list, against #26,891 for "temp". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering temp vs tempe

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “temp” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list