compliance
/kəmˈplaɪ.əns/noun
compliance is spelled C-O-M-P-L-I-A-N-C-E: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 15 times per million words in written English, the 5,407th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, compliance means “An act of complying” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of compliance is compliances.
How many letters and syllables are in compliance?
| Letters | 10: C-O-M-P-L-I-A-N-C-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 15 times per million words; the 5,407th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is compliance?
Compliance appears 15 times per million words in written English, the 5,407th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce compliance?
- US /kəmˈplaɪ.əns/
- Australia /kəmˈplɑe.əns/
- [kəmˈplɑe̯.əns]
Compliance has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-compliance.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with compliance?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as compliance from its last stressed vowel (/aɪəns/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of compliance
- compliances plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does compliance mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An act of complying.
strict compliance
- 2
The state of being compliant.
The software ensures compliance with data protection laws.
- 3
The tendency of conforming with or agreeing to the wishes of others.
His quick compliance with the order impressed the officer.
- 4
A measure of the extension or displacement of a loaded structure; its flexibility.
- 5
The accuracy with which a patient follows an agreed treatment plan.
- 6
The department of a business that ensures all government regulations are complied with.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Compliance in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | conformité, acquiescement , conformisme , observance |
| German | Einwilligung, Fügsamkeit, Übereinstimmen, Zustimmen, sich Fügen, Einwilligen |
| Portuguese | cumprimento , conformismo, complacência , aderência, conformidade , compliance |
| Spanish | cumplimiento, acatamiento , contraloría |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does compliance come from?
From comply + -ance.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).