Which to use
“competent” is an adjective and “complement” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,018
- “competent” frequency rank
- #10,019
- “complement” frequency rank
- 18037
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | competent | complement |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Having sufficient skill, knowledge, ability, or qualifications. | The totality, the full amount or number which completes something. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set competent and complement apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
competent and complement form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18037, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
competent is recorded at frequency rank #8,018, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈkɒmpətənt/. complement is at rank #10,019, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈkɒmpləmənt/.
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 18037, this pair ranks #447,527 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "competent" and "complement" be used interchangeably?
Remembering competent vs complement
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “competent”; for a noun, it's “complement”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “competent” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable