KomplimentvsKomplizenWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“Kompliment” and “Komplizen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#9,578
“Kompliment” frequency rank
#18,955
“Komplizen” frequency rank
28533
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Kompliment Komplizen
Definition eine Äußerung, die positiv bei dem Gesprächspartner gewertet wird Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Komplize

Where the eye mixes Kompliment and Komplizen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.

10 ch
Kompliment
9 ch
Komplizen

Why the eye confuses Kompliment with Komplizen

A purely visual mix-up. Kompliment ([ˌkɔmpliˈmɛnt]) and Komplizen ([kɔmˈpliːt͡sn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28533, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Kompliment is recorded at frequency rank #9,578, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˌkɔmpliˈmɛnt]. Komplizen is at rank #18,955, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kɔmˈpliːt͡sn̩].

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 28533, this pair ranks #1,783,054 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Kompliment vs Komplizen

Shared letters: eiklmnop. Private to "Kompliment": t. Private to "Komplizen": z.

"Kompliment" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCC  ·  "Komplizen" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Komplimentkkompliment · kmopliment · komlpiment · kommpliment · kompilment · kompliemnt · komplimennt · komplimentt
  • Komplizenkkomplizen · kmoplizen · komlpizen · kommplizen · kompilzen · kompliezn · komplizenn · komplizne

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Kompliment" for "Komplizen" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˌkɔmpliˈmɛnt] versus [kɔmˈpliːt͡sn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "Kompliment" or "Komplizen" show up more?
"Kompliment" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,578 in our German list, against #18,955 for "Komplizen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Kompliment" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Komplizen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,783,054 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Kompliment" and "Komplizen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Komplize vs Komplizen". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #1,783,054 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list