tempérervstempêtesWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#38,066
“tempérer” frequency rank
#13,276
“tempêtes” frequency rank
51342
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tempérer tempêtes
Definition Modérer ou réguler de quelque manière que ce soit. Pluriel de tempête.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set tempérer and tempêtes apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
tempérer
8 ch
tempêtes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: tempérer is \tɑ̃.pe.ʁe\ while tempêtes is \tɑ̃.pɛt\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51342, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tempérer is recorded at frequency rank #38,066, classified as averb, pronounced \tɑ̃.pe.ʁe\. tempêtes is at rank #13,276, tagged as anoun, pronounced \tɑ̃.pɛt\.

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 51342, this pair ranks #155,762 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of tempérer vs tempêtes

Shared letters: empt. Private to "tempérer": . Private to "tempêtes": .

"tempérer" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "tempêtes" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC

Frequency comparison

tempérer#38,066
tempêtes#13,276

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tempérer" and "tempêtes" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "tempérer" is a verb and "tempêtes" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "tempérer" or "tempêtes"?
"tempêtes" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,276 in our French list, against #38,066 for "tempérer". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering tempérer vs tempêtes

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “tempérer”; for a noun, it's “tempêtes”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “tempérer” 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