How to spell temperature
A Year 5 and 6 statutory spelling word, with the tricky part explained and a tip that makes it stick.
The answer
temperature
T-E-M-P-E-R-A-T-U-R-E
The part to watch: tem + per + a + ture. The underlined letters are the ones most people get wrong.
The tricky part
Quick speech swallows letters in the middle, so people write "temprature". It has an e after the p and an a after the r.
Temperature is one of the words on the Year 5 and 6 list with a letter you hardly hear. When we speak quickly, a letter or a whole beat gets swallowed. Say the word slowly, the way it is spelt, so every letter has a sound.
Common mistakes with temperature
- Wrong: tempratureRight: temperature
- Wrong: tempertureRight: temperature
A way to remember it
Temperature is temper + ature. Your temper can rise like the temperature.
Temperature in syllables
tem · per · a · ture
Temperature has 4 syllables. Say each one as you write it. Often said "tem-pruh-chur". Saying all four beats keeps the e and the a.
In a sentence
The temperature dropped below freezing last night.
Temperature on the statutory list
Temperature is on the Year 5 and 6 statutory word list in the national curriculum for England. Children are taught these words in Years 5 and 6, when they are 9 to 11.
Test yourself
A short spelling test that starts with temperature, then nine more words from the Year 5 and 6 list, read aloud. It works in your browser.
More words with a letter you hardly hear
These words from the Year 5 and 6 list share the same pattern as temperature.
More words
Questions parents ask
How do you spell temperate?
Temperate starts the same way: t-e-m-p-e-r, then ate. It means neither very hot nor very cold.
Spelling is one part of the picture
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