comply
com·ply/kəmˈplaɪ/verb
comply is spelled C-O-M-P-L-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables (com·ply). It appears 11 times per million words in written English, the 6,674th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, comply means “To yield assent; to accord; to acquiesce, agree, consent; to adapt oneself, to conform” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in comply?
| Letters | 6: C-O-M-P-L-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: com·ply |
| In writing | 11 times per million words; the 6,674th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is comply?
Comply appears 11 times per million words in written English, the 6,674th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce comply?
- US /kəmˈplaɪ/
- Australia /kəmˈplɑe/
- [kəmˈplɑe̯]
Comply has 2 syllables, split com·ply in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-comply.ogg, En-au-comply.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with comply?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as comply from its last stressed vowel (/aɪ/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of comply
- complies present, singular, he/she/it
- complying participle, present
- complied participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does comply mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To yield assent; to accord; to acquiesce, agree, consent; to adapt oneself, to conform.
comply with rules
- 2
archaicTo accomplish, to fulfil.
- 3
archaicTo be ceremoniously courteous; to make one's compliments.
- 4
archaicTo enfold; to embrace.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Comply in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | se conformer, respecter, acquiescer |
| German | einwilligen, sich fügen, einhalten |
| Portuguese | concordar, assentir (a), aquiescer (a) , cumprir , cumprimentar , abraçar |
| Spanish | cumplir, acatar, atenerse (a) , cumplir con |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does comply come from?
From Italian complire, Catalan complir (“to complete, fulfil; to carry out”), Spanish cumplir (“to complete, fulfil”), (alternatively from Old French compli), from Latin complēre, from compleō (“to finish, complete; to fulfil”), from com- (prefix indicating completeness of an act) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm (“beside, near; by, with”)) + pleō (“to fill; to fulfil”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₁- (“to fill”)). The word is very close to the French verb complaire which means to satisfy or to please.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).