compliment
/ˈkɑmpləmənt/
"compliment" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“compliment” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #8,132 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #8,132
- frequency rank, English
- 10
- letters
- 16
- tracked misspellings
- 4
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An expression of praise, congratulation, or respect.
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 | compliment |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈkɑmpləmənt/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #8,132 |
| Misspellings tracked | 16 |
| Confusable pairs | 4 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “compliment” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for compliment is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkɑmpləmənt/. Corpus data places it at rank #8,132 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for compliment, with forms such as "ccompliment", "cmopliment", and "comlpiment". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "compliments", "compliant", "complement", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French compliment, itself a borrowing of Italian complimento, which in turn is a borrowing from Spanish cumplimiento, from cumplir (“to comply, complete, do what is proper”) + -miento or Latin complēmentum. Doublet of complement. Displaced Old… The correct English form is compliment, spelled C-O-M-P-L-I-M-E-N-T.
Definition
- 1An expression of praise, congratulation, or respect.
- 2Complimentary language; courtesy, flattery.
- 3Misspelling of complement.
Etymology
Borrowed from French compliment, itself a borrowing of Italian complimento, which in turn is a borrowing from Spanish cumplimiento, from cumplir (“to comply, complete, do what is proper”) + -miento or Latin complēmentum. Doublet of complement. Displaced Old English ġeswǣsnes.
Synonyms
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ccompliment,cmopliment,comlpiment,commpliment,compilment,compliemnt,complimennt,complimentt,complimetn,complimment,complimnet,complliment,complmient,comppliment,copmliment,ocmpliment
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of compliment - 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
How do you spell "compliment"?
What does "compliment" mean?
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Using “compliment”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-O-M-P-L-I-M-E-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈkɑmpləmənt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “compliments” - see the side-by-side comparison. compliment vs compliments
- 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.