complaint

Name: complaint, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/kəmˈpleɪnt/

//kəmˈpleɪnt// noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“complaint” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,145 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,145
frequency rank, English: 9
letters: 13
tracked misspellings: 8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act of complaining.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

complaint vs compliant

78% similar

complaint vs complying

78% similar

complaint vs complaints

90% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for complaint
Property	Value
Headword	complaint
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/kəmˈpleɪnt/
Letters	9
Frequency rank	#4,145
Misspellings tracked	13
Confusable pairs	8
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “complaint” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). complaint lands here:

#4,145

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for complaint is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kəmˈpleɪnt/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,145 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for complaint, with forms such as "ccomplaint", "cmoplaint", and "comlpaint". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "compliant", "complying", "complaints", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English compleynte, from Anglo-Norman compleint, from Old French compleindre, eventually from Latin planctus (whence plaint). The correct English form is complaint, spelled C-O-M-P-L-A-I-N-T.

Definition

1
The act of complaining.
2
A grievance, problem, difficulty, or concern.
3
In a civil action, the first pleading of the plaintiff setting out the facts on which the claim is based.
4
In criminal law, the preliminary charge or accusation made by one person against another to the appropriate court or officer, usually a magistrate.
5
A bodily disorder or disease; the symptom of such a disorder.

Etymology

From Middle English compleynte, from Anglo-Norman compleint, from Old French compleindre, eventually from Latin planctus (whence plaint).

Synonyms

criminal complaintcomplaint of an offenceoffense charge chargescriminal informationinform the policeauthoritiesnotification of the policereport an offenceoffense to the police

This word in other languages

queja(Español)plainte(Français)Klage(Deutsch)queixa(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccomplaint,cmoplaint,comlpaint,commplaint,compalint,complainnt,complaintt,complaitn,complanit,compllaint,compplaint,copmlaint,ocmplaint

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of complaint - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

Edit distance from "complaint"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "complaint"?

"complaint" is spelled C-O-M-P-L-A-I-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /kəmˈpleɪnt/.

What does "complaint" mean?

As a noun, "complaint" means: The act of complaining.

What words are commonly confused with "complaint"?

"complaint" is commonly confused with "compliant", "complying", "complaints". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "complaint"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "complaint" is /kəmˈpleɪnt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.

What is the origin of the word "complaint"?

From Middle English compleynte, from Anglo-Norman compleint, from Old French compleindre, eventually from Latin planctus (whence plaint). See the full etymology section above for more details.

Is PlainSpell free to use?

Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “complaint”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is C-O-M-P-L-A-I-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /kəmˈpleɪnt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “compliant” - see the side-by-side comparison. complaint vs compliant
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.