Which to use
“complex” is an adjective and “complied” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,449
- “complex” frequency rank
- #20,888
- “complied” frequency rank
- 22337
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | complex | complied |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Made up of multiple parts; composite; not simple. | simple past and past participle of comply |
Where the eye mixes complex and complied
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: complex vs complied
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: complex is /ˈkɒmplɛks/ while complied is /kəmˈplaɪd/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22337, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
complex is recorded at frequency rank #1,449, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈkɒmplɛks/. complied is at rank #20,888, tagged as averb, pronounced /kəmˈplaɪd/.
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 22337, this pair ranks #417,328 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of complex vs complied
Shared letters: celmop. Private to "complex": x. Private to "complied": di.
"complex" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC · "complied" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "complex" and "complied" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary English text, does "complex" or "complied" show up more?
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 "complex" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "complied" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #417,328 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "complex" and "complied" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "complied vs complies". 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 #417,328 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.