Which to use
“complicate” is a verb and “complicity” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #20,593
- “complicate” frequency rank
- #27,778
- “complicity” frequency rank
- 48371
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | complicate | complicity |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To make complex; to modify so as to make something intricate or difficult. | The state of being complicit; involvement as a partner or accomplice, especially in a crime or other wrongdoing. |
Letter map: complicate vs complicity
Shared letters muted; letters that set complicate and complicity apart highlighted. Shared run: 8.
Role in the sentence - complicate and complicity
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: complicate is averb and complicityanoun. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48371, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
complicate is recorded at frequency rank #20,593, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈkɑmplɪkeɪt/. complicity is at rank #27,778, tagged as anoun.
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 48371, this pair ranks #193,686 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of complicate vs complicity
Shared letters: cilmopt. Private to "complicate": ae. Private to "complicity": y.
"complicate" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCV · "complicity" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- complicate ← ccomplicate · cmoplicate · comlpicate · commplicate · compilcate · complciate · compliacte · complicaet
- complicity ← ccomplicity · cmoplicity · comlpicity · commplicity · compilcity · complciity · compliccity · complicitty
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "complicate" for "complicity" ever safe?
In ordinary English text, does "complicate" or "complicity" show up more?
After this comparison
Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "complicate" and "complicity".
- Full dictionary entry for "complicate" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "complicity" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #193,686 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "complicate" and "complicity" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "complicit vs complicity". 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 #193,686 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.