complaisant
/kəmˈpleɪsənt/
"complaisant" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“complaisant” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Compliant.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | complaisant |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /kəmˈpleɪsənt/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “complaisant” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
complaisant is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /kəmˈpleɪsənt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
Zero misspellings are on record for complaisant in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From French complaisant (“willing to please”), from complaire, from Latin complacēre (“please well”), from com- (“with”) + placeō (“please”). The correct English form is complaisant, spelled C-O-M-P-L-A-I-S-A-N-T.
Definition
- 1Compliant.
- 2Willing to do what pleases others; obliging; agreeable.
- 3Polite; showing respect.
Etymology
From French complaisant (“willing to please”), from complaire, from Latin complacēre (“please well”), from com- (“with”) + placeō (“please”).
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “complaisant”
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-S-A-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /kəmˈpleɪsənt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.