TEM-pist
TEMPEST is a violent windstorm, especially one with rain, hail, or snow; a furious agitation or tumultuous outburst. Metaphorically, it represents any violent commotion or passionate disturbance.
Yes. TEMPEST is in the Scrabble-style word list used by our tools and scores 11 points in Scrabble, 13 in Words With Friends and 12 in Wordfeud (base tile values, no board multipliers). Always check the dictionary your game uses (NWL, Collins or the WWF list) before playing.
| Letter | T | E | M | P | E | S | T | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scrabble | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| Words With Friends | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13 |
| Wordfeud | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
Tempest embodies nature's raw fury—a word that conjures images of ships tossed on mountainous waves, trees bent double by screaming winds, and skies torn apart by lightning. More than just a storm, a tempest represents chaos incarnate, the moment when natural forces overwhelm human control. From Shakespeare's island sorcery to modern climate catastrophes, tempests have shaped literature, history, and human consciousness as symbols of both destruction and transformation.
Meteorologically, tempests occupy the extreme end of storm intensity. While ordinary storms bring rain and wind, tempests combine multiple violent elements: hurricane-force winds exceeding 64 knots, torrential precipitation, dramatic pressure drops, and often devastating storm surges. The Great Storm of 1703 that devastated England, killing over 8,000 people, exemplified a true tempest—Daniel Defoe called it "the greatest, the longest in duration, the widest in extent, of all the tempests and storms that history gives any account of."
Shakespeare immortalized "tempest" in Western culture with his final solo play, where Prospero's magical storm shipwrecks his enemies on an enchanted island. This literary tempest transcended meteorology to become metaphor: the storm represents both external chaos and internal turmoil, the power to destroy and to purify. "The Tempest" explores themes of power, revenge, and forgiveness through nature's violence—establishing the word's dual literal and symbolic meanings that persist today.
"Tempest" traces its linguistic roots through a fascinating journey of time and cultural exchange, revealing how humans have long sought words powerful enough to capture nature's most violent moods. The word entered English through French from Latin, carrying ancient associations with time, season, and divine wrath.
Anagrams: no other word uses exactly the letters of TEMPEST.
Hooks: no front hooks; back TEMPESTS.
Words inside TEMPEST: 43 shorter words can be made from these letters – highest scoring: TEMPTSTEMPSTEMPTSEPTETTEMPMEETSMETESSTEEPTEEMSEMESMEETMETE. See all words from TEMPEST.