# complicate

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈkɑmplɪkeɪt/ · frequency rank #20,593

## Definitions
1. To make complex; to modify so as to make something intricate or difficult.
2. To involve in a convoluted matter.
3. To coexist with (another disease) creating a complication.

## Etymology
First attested in the early 17ᵗʰ century; borrowed from Latin complicātus, perfect passive participle of complicō (“to fold together”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from con- (“together”) + plicō (“to fold, weave, knit”); see plaid, and compare complex. See also Middle English complicate (“involved”).

## Easily confused with
- **complicit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/complicate-vs-complicit)
- **complicity** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/complicate-vs-complicity)
- **complicated** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/complicate-vs-complicated)

## Common misspellings (15)
`ccomplicate`, `cmoplicate`, `comlpicate`, `commplicate`, `compilcate`, `complciate`, `compliacte`, `complicaet`, `complicatte`, `compliccate`, `complictae`, `compllicate`, `compplicate`, `copmlicate`, `ocmplicate`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/complicate