templesvstempsWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#10,597
“temples” frequency rank
#89
“temps” frequency rank
10686
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature temples temps
Definition Pluriel de temple. Durée des choses, marquée par certaines périodes, et principalement par la révolution apparente du soleil ; écart entre le déroulement de deux événements.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
temples
5 ch
temps

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

temples and temps form a confusable pair in the French index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10686, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

temples is recorded at frequency rank #10,597, classified as anoun, pronounced \tɑ̃pl\. temps is at rank #89, tagged as anoun, pronounced \tɑ̃\.

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 10686, this pair ranks #412,026 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

temples#10,597
temps#89

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "temples" and "temps" be used interchangeably?
No, "temples" and "temps" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering temples vs temps

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 “temples” 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