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 September 3, 2026) - Compliant.
Corpus desk
Index EN-complaisant · complaisant · English
complaisant · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 11 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "C" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | complaisant |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /kəmˈpleɪsənt/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “complaisant” in English
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.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how complaisant appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Replay our conversation You threw your accusations I'm always so complaisant I never change the station
The People who had often heard of me, were very curious to croud about the Sedan, and the Girl was complaiſant enough to make the Bearers ſtop, and to take me in her Hand that I might be conveniently ſeen.
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.