Which to use
“complain” and “complained” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,840
- “complain” frequency rank
- #7,207
- “complained” frequency rank
- 12047
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | complain | complained |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To express feelings of pain, dissatisfaction, or resentment. | simple past and past participle of complain |
Where the eye mixes complain and complained
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: complain vs complained
A purely visual mix-up. complain (/kəmˈpleɪn/) and complained (/kəmˈpleɪnd/) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “complain” sits inside “complained”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12047, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
complain is recorded at frequency rank #4,840, classified as averb, pronounced /kəmˈpleɪn/. complained is at rank #7,207, tagged as averb, pronounced /kəmˈpleɪnd/.
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 12047, this pair ranks #483,718 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of complain vs complained
Shared letters: acilmnop. Private to "complain": -. Private to "complained": de.
"complain" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVVC · "complained" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- complain ← ccomplain · cmoplain · comlpain · commplain · compalin · complainn · complani · complian
- complained ← ccomplained · cmoplained · comlpained · commplained · compalined · complaiend · complainde · complainedd
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "complain" for "complained" ever safe?
Which is more common, "complain" or "complained"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "complain" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "complained" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #483,718 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "complain" and "complained" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Champlain vs complain". 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 #483,718 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.