tempt
/tɛmpt/
tempt is pronounced tempt (/tɛmpt/). Tempt is a verb meaning to attract or mislead someone to do something, especially by offering a tempting lure or suggestion. It also refers to the act of enticing someone toward a desired action, sometimes in a way that challenges their will or restraint. The core idea is arousing interest or desire that makes resisted impulses harder to maintain.
Tempt is a verb meaning to attract or mislead someone to do something, especially by offering a tempting lure or suggestion. It also refers to the act of enticing someone toward a desired action, sometimes in a way that challenges their will or restraint. The core idea is arousing interest or desire that makes resisted impulses harder to maintain.
"The sight of the dessert tempted her to break her diet."
"Advertisers tempt consumers with limited-time offers."
"He tempted fate by ignoring the safety warnings."
Pronounce it as TEMPT with a short ‘e’ as in bed. IPA: US/UK/AU /tɛmpt/. Start with a light open-mid front unrounded vowel, then close the lips to release the final /p/ with voiceless plosive release. The /m/ is bilabial nasal, and the final /pt/ cluster is produced by releasing the /p/ into a quick /t/ without extra vowel between them. Mouth: lip rounding neutral, tongue high-mid for /ɛ/.
Common errors include pronouncing the final cluster as /t/ only or confusing it with /təmpt/ by inserting an extra schwa. Some speakers voice the /t/ making it a /d/ or add a vowel like /ə/ before /pt/. Correct approach: keep the final /pt/ as a quick, unvoiced release, with the /p/ and /t/ tightly connected and no extra vowel. Ensure the initial /t/ is unreleased as a clean aspirated plosive when appropriate.
In US/UK/AU, TEMPT is /tɛmpt/ with a non-rhotic or rhotic variation not affecting TEMPT; the main difference is the quality of the /æ/ vs /e/ depending on speaker. US vowels may be more lax, UK tends to crisper /e/; AU tends to a broader /æ/ or closer to /e/. The final /pt/ is a voiceless cluster across all three accents, though some may assimilate the /t/ to a flap in rapid speech.
The difficulty lies in the final consonant cluster /pt/ which requires precise timing to avoid inserting a schwa or turning it into /t/ or /p/ alone. The /t/ release must follow immediately after the /p/ without voicing, and the /ɛm/ vowel should be short and tense. Some learners misarticulate by delaying the /t/ or by releasing the /p/ with a separate vowel, which blurs the word.
The unique tip is to practice the tight bilabial-to-tap release transition between /p/ and /t/. Do a sequence: /p t/ with no intra-vocalic vowel. This can be practiced as 'pop-tech' sounds in isolation to train the exact stop sequence, then integrate into TEMPT in connected speech.
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Tempt comes from the Latin temptare, meaning to feel, test, or try. From temptare, the root tempt- is linked to testing one’s resolve or will by offering something desirable. In Latin, -tare marks an active verb form, with temptare used for
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "tempt" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "tempt" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "tempt"
-mpt sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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