complicity

noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"complicity" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“complicity” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #27,778. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#27,778
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The state of being complicit; involvement as a partner or accomplice, especially in a crime or other wrongdoing.

Corpus desk

Index EN-complicity · complicity · English

complicity · rank #27,778 · 16 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #27,778
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH conf

Nearest frequency peer: conf (+1 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “complicity”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “complicity” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

complicity vs complicit
90% similar
complicity vs complexity
80% similar
complicity vs complicate
80% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for complicity
PropertyValue
Headwordcomplicity
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters10
Frequency rank#27,778
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “complicity”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).complicitylands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “conf” (#27,779), “Collin” (#27,776), “confetti” (#27,780). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “complicity” is #27,778. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around complicity, anoun. Corpus frequency is #27,778 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for complicity, with forms such as "ccomplicity", "cmoplicity", and "comlpicity". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "complicit", "complexity", "complicate", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French complicité, from Middle French, from Old French complice (“accomplice”), from Late Latin complic-, stem of complex (“partner, confederate”), from Latin complicō (“fold together”). The correct English form is complicity, spelled C-O-M-P-L-I-C-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state of being complicit; involvement as a partner or accomplice, especially in a crime or other wrongdoing.
  2. 2
    Complexity.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how complicity appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. He drew up a placard, offering Twenty Pounds reward for the apprehension of Stephen Blackpool, suspected of complicity in the robbery of Coketown Bank.
  2. How easy is it, on the other hand, to an enlightened teacher, particularly in the beginning, to elucidate the various forms of rhythm by methodical arrangement in respect of simplicity and increasing complicity or mixture!

Etymology

From French complicité, from Middle French, from Old French complice (“accomplice”), from Late Latin complic-, stem of complex (“partner, confederate”), from Latin complicō (“fold together”).

This word in other languages

complicidad(Español)complicité(Français)Mittäterschaft(Deutsch)cumplicidade(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccomplicity
  • cmoplicity
  • comlpicity
  • commplicity
  • compilcity
  • complciity
  • compliccity
  • complicitty
  • complicityy
  • compliciyt
  • complictiy
  • compliicty
  • compllicity
  • compplicity
  • copmlicity
  • ocmplicity

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of complicity - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ccomplicity1cmoplicity2comlpicity2commplicity1compilcity2complciity2compliccity1complicitty1
Edit distance from "complicity"

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

How do you spell "complicity"?
"complicity" is spelled C-O-M-P-L-I-C-I-T-Y.
What does "complicity" mean?
As a noun, "complicity" means: The state of being complicit; involvement as a partner or accomplice, especially in a crime or other wrongdoing.
What words are commonly confused with "complicity"?
"complicity" is commonly confused with "complicit", "complexity", "complicate". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "complicity"?
From French complicité, from Middle French, from Old French complice (“accomplice”), from Late Latin complic-, stem of complex (“partner, confederate”), from Latin complicō (“fold together”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "complicity", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

clustering#27,773desolation#27,804dislocated#27,812financials#27,836

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

dynamically16 variantsElizabethan16 variantsapprehensive16 variantsfurthering16 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list