complimentary

/ˌkɒmplɪˈmɛnt(ə)ɹi/

//ˌkɒmplɪˈmɛnt(ə)ɹi// adj

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

"complimentary" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“complimentary” has 21 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,273. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,273
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
21
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - In the nature of a compliment.

Corpus desk

Index EN-complimentary · complimentary · English

complimentary · rank #18,273 · 21 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #18,273
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 21 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH colonists

Nearest frequency peer: colonists (-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 “complimentary”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “complimentary” 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).

complimentary vs complementary
92% similar

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

Key facts for complimentary
PropertyValue
Headwordcomplimentary
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌkɒmplɪˈmɛnt(ə)ɹi/
Letters13
Frequency rank#18,273
Misspellings tracked21
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “complimentary”

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).complimentarylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “colonists” (#18,272), “compounded” (#18,274), “collage” (#18,271). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “complimentary” is #18,273. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 21 spelling variants around complimentary (IPA /ˌkɒmplɪˈmɛnt(ə)ɹi/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #18,273 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 21 likely wrong-spelling variants for complimentary, with forms such as "ccomplimentary", "cmoplimentary", and "comlpimentary". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "complementary", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From compliment (noun) + -ary. Piecewise doublet of complementary. The correct English form is complimentary, spelled C-O-M-P-L-I-M-E-N-T-A-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    In the nature of a compliment.
  2. 2
    Free; provided at no charge.
  3. 3
    With respect to the closing of a letter, formal and professional.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a complimentary remark
  2. But yesterday evening late, when Lewis arrived from down town he found his supper spread, and some presents of books there, with very complimentary writings on the fly-leaves, and certain very complimentary letters, and more or less greenbacks of dignified denomination pinned to those letters and fly-leaves...

Etymology

From compliment (noun) + -ary. Piecewise doublet of complementary.

This word in other languages

lisonjero(Español)flatteur(Français)schmeichelnd(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccomplimentary
  • cmoplimentary
  • comlpimentary
  • commplimentary
  • compilmentary
  • compliemntary
  • complimenatry
  • complimenntary
  • complimentarry
  • complimentaryy
  • complimentayr
  • complimentray
  • complimenttary
  • complimetnary
  • complimmentary
  • complimnetary
  • compllimentary
  • complmientary
  • compplimentary
  • copmlimentary
  • ocmplimentary

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of complimentary - 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.

ccomplimentary1cmoplimentary2comlpimentary2commplimentary1compilmentary2compliemntary2complimenatry2complimenntary1
Edit distance from "complimentary"

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 "complimentary"?
"complimentary" is spelled C-O-M-P-L-I-M-E-N-T-A-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌkɒmplɪˈmɛnt(ə)ɹi/.
What does "complimentary" mean?
As an adjective, "complimentary" means: In the nature of a compliment.
What words are commonly confused with "complimentary"?
"complimentary" is commonly confused with "complementary". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "complimentary"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "complimentary" is /ˌkɒmplɪˈmɛnt(ə)ɹi/. 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 "complimentary"?
From compliment (noun) + -ary. Piecewise doublet of complementary. 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 "complimentary", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

cybersecurity#18,287supplementary#18,199modernization#18,137reimbursement#18,411

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (21 here; floor ≥5).

authentication21 variantsdysfunctional21 variantsindispensable21 variantsreorganization21 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list