complication
com·pli·ca·tion/ˌkɑm.pləˈkeɪ.ʃən/noun
complication is spelled C-O-M-P-L-I-C-A-T-I-O-N: 12 letters and 4 syllables (com·pli·ca·tion). It appears 2.0 times per million words in written English, the 19,336th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, complication means “The act or process of complicating” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of complication is complications.
How many letters and syllables are in complication?
| Letters | 12: C-O-M-P-L-I-C-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: com·pli·ca·tion |
| In writing | 2.0 times per million words; the 19,336th 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; 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 complication?
Complication appears 2.0 times per million words in written English, the 19,336th 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 complication?
- UK /ˌkɒm.plɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/
- US /ˌkɑm.pləˈkeɪ.ʃən/
- US /ˌkɑm.plɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/
Complication has 4 syllables, split com·pli·ca·tion in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vininn126-complication.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with complication?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as complication from its last stressed vowel (/eɪʃən/):
- situation
- association
- population
- administration
- operation
- organization
- application
- location
- generation
- foundation
- conversation
- investigation
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 complication
- complications plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does complication mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The act or process of complicating.
- 2
The state of being complicated; intricate or confused relation of parts; complexity.
- 3
A person who doesn't fit in with the main scheme of things; an interloper.
- 4
A disease or diseases, or adventitious circumstances or conditions, coexistent with and modifying a primary disease, but not necessarily connected with it.
- 5
A feature beyond basic time display in a timepiece.
- 6
obsoleteA twisting or intertwining.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Complication in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | complication |
| German | Komplikation , Complication |
| Spanish | complicación |
| Portuguese | complicação |
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 complication come from?
Borrowed from Middle French complication, from Latin complicatio, complicationem. Morphologically complicate + -ion.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).