compliment

/ˈkɑmpləmənt/

//ˈkɑmpləmənt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“compliment” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,132. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,132
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An expression of praise, congratulation, or respect.

Corpus desk

Index EN-compliment · compliment · English

compliment · rank #8,132 · 16 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,132
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH collector

Nearest frequency peer: collector (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “compliment”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “compliment” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

compliment vs compliments
91% similar
compliment vs compliant
80% similar
compliment vs complement
90% similar

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

Key facts for compliment
PropertyValue
Headwordcompliment
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɑmpləmənt/
Letters10
Frequency rank#8,132
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “compliment” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).complimentlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “collector” (#8,131), “consisted” (#8,133), “continually” (#8,134). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around compliment (IPA /ˈkɑmpləmənt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #8,132 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

  1. 1
    An expression of praise, congratulation, or respect.
  2. 2
    Complimentary language; courtesy, flattery.
  3. 3
    Misspelling of complement.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. pay someone a compliment
  2. […] I met him With customary compliment; when he, Wafting his eyes to the contrary and falling A lip of much contempt, speeds from me and So leaves me to consider what is breeding That changeth thus his manners.

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

praise

Antonyms

insult

This word in other languages

cumplido(Español)compliment(Français)Kompliment(Deutsch)elogio(Português)

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.

ccompliment1cmopliment2comlpiment2commpliment1compilment2compliemnt2complimennt1complimentt1
Edit distance from "compliment"

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"?
"compliment" is spelled C-O-M-P-L-I-M-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɑmpləmənt/.
What does "compliment" mean?
As a noun, "compliment" means: An expression of praise, congratulation, or respect.
What words are commonly confused with "compliment"?
"compliment" is commonly confused with "compliments", "compliant", "complement". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "compliment"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "compliment" is /ˈkɑmpləmənt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "compliment"?
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. Dis... 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 "compliment", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

charitable#8,127deployment#8,139ammunition#8,117underwater#8,101

Similar misspelling depth

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

coordinator16 variantsnationalist16 variantsreliability16 variantsprescribed16 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "compliment". Here's where to go from here.

  • "compliment" maps to 4 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "compliments". View pair
  • 16 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #8,132 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "C" letter cohort. C–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list