complex sentence
"complex-sentence" is a 15-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“complex sentence” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 16
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A sentence that contains an independent clause as well as one or more dependent clauses, such as a relative clause, an adverbial clause, or a noun clause.
Corpus desk
Index EN-complex-sentence · complex sentence · English
complex sentence · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 16 letters
- VOW-5 5 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 | complex sentence |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 16 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “complex sentence” in English
Rare enough to double-check
complex sentence is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
No misspelling variants are generated for complex sentence in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct English form is complex sentence, spelled C-O-M-P-L-E-X- -S-E-N-T-E-N-C-E.
Definition
- 1A sentence that contains an independent clause as well as one or more dependent clauses, such as a relative clause, an adverbial clause, or a noun clause.
- 2A sentence that contains multiple clauses, whether independent (coordinated) or dependent (subordinated); compound or complex sentence.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how complex sentence appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Sentences are either simple or complex. […] A complex sentence consists of two or more members, as, “Alexander, when he had conquered the world, is said to have wept, because there were not other worlds to subdue.” […] When a member of a complex sentence is simple, it is called indifferently a member, or a clause; as, “I have called; but ye have refused.”
Complex sentences are traditionally divided into two basic types: (i) sentences including co-ordinate clauses, and (ii) sentences including subordinate clauses.
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.