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Tempo / Tempi — Singular and Plural

Tempo

• Singular noun
• Means speed or rate, especially in music.

Example:

• “The song has a slow tempo.”

Tempi

• Plural noun
• This is the Italian plural of tempo.
• Used most commonly in music terminology.

Example:

• “The conductor changed the tempi throughout the performance.”

⭐ Why two forms?

Because music terms come from Italian, and Italian plurals often end in -i.

Similar examples:

• cello → celli
• violinissimo → violinissimi
• concerto → concerti (Italian plural; English plural is concertos)

⭐ English Accepts Both

✔ tempo → tempos (English plural)

✔ tempo → tempi (Italian plural, used in music)