Which to use
“complement” is a noun and “complemented” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,019
- “complement” frequency rank
- #25,711
- “complemented” frequency rank
- 35730
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | complement | complemented |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The totality, the full amount or number which completes something. | Having the complementary configuration. |
Letter map: complement vs complemented
Shared letters muted; letters that set complement and complemented apart highlighted. Shared run: 10.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: complement is anoun and complementedanadjective. On the page they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “complement” sits inside “complemented”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35730, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
complement is recorded at frequency rank #10,019, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈkɒmpləmənt/. complemented is at rank #25,711, tagged as anadj.
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 35730, this pair ranks #309,399 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of complement vs complemented
Shared letters: celmnopt. Private to "complement": -. Private to "complemented": d.
"complement" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCC · "complemented" · 12 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- complement ← ccomplement · cmoplement · comlpement · commplement · compelment · compleemnt · complemennt · complementt
- complemented ← ccomplemented · cmoplemented · comlpemented · commplemented · compelmented · compleemnted · complemenetd · complemennted
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "complement" and "complemented" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "complement" or "complemented"?
What to do next
You've compared "complement" and "complemented". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "complement" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "complemented" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #309,399 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "complement" and "complemented" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "complacent vs complement". 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
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.