complicit
/kəmˈplɪs.ɪt/
"complicit" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“complicit” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #22,623 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #22,623
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 14
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Associated with or participating in an activity, especially one of a questionable nature.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | complicit |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /kəmˈplɪs.ɪt/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #22,623 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 3 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “complicit” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for complicit is 9 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kəmˈplɪs.ɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #22,623 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Associated with or participating in an activity, especially one of a questionable nature.".
Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for complicit, with forms such as "ccomplicit", "cmoplicit", and "comlpicit". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "complicity", "compliant", "complicate", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: Most likely a back-formation from complicity, under the influence of words such as explicit, as though the suffix -ity were composed of -it (from Latin -itus) and -y. The correct English form is complicit, spelled C-O-M-P-L-I-C-I-T.
Definition
- 1Associated with or participating in an activity, especially one of a questionable nature.
Etymology
Most likely a back-formation from complicity, under the influence of words such as explicit, as though the suffix -ity were composed of -it (from Latin -itus) and -y.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ccomplicit,cmoplicit,comlpicit,commplicit,compilcit,complciit,compliccit,complicitt,complicti,compliict,compllicit,compplicit,copmlicit,ocmplicit
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of complicit - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “complicit”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-O-M-P-L-I-C-I-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /kəmˈplɪs.ɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “complicity” - see the side-by-side comparison. complicit vs complicity
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.