tempesvstempêtesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#46,482
“tempes” frequency rank
#13,276
“tempêtes” frequency rank
59758
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tempes tempêtes
Definition Pluriel de tempe. Pluriel de tempête.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set tempes and tempêtes apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
tempes
8 ch
tempêtes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. tempes (\tɑ̃p\) and tempêtes (\tɑ̃.pɛt\) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59758, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tempes is recorded at frequency rank #46,482, classified as anoun, pronounced \tɑ̃p\. 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 59758, this pair ranks #101,351 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of tempes vs tempêtes

Shared letters: empst. Private to "tempes": -. Private to "tempêtes": ê.

"tempes" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "tempêtes" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tempesetmpes · temeps · temmpes · tempess · temppes · tempse · tepmes · tmepes

Frequency comparison

tempes#46,482
tempêtes#13,276

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tempes" and "tempêtes" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\tɑ̃p\ versus \tɑ̃.pɛt\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "tempes" or "tempêtes"?
"tempêtes" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,276 in our French list, against #46,482 for "tempes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering tempes vs tempêtes

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 “tempes” 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