compos mentis
/ˈkɒmpɒs ˈmɛntɪs/
"compos-mentis" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“compos mentis” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as an adjective - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 13
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of sound mind, sane; thus fully accountable (legally and/or morally) for one's deeds.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | compos mentis |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈkɒmpɒs ˈmɛntɪs/ |
| Letters | 13 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “compos mentis” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for compos mentis is 13 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkɒmpɒs ˈmɛntɪs/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Of sound mind, sane; thus fully accountable (legally and/or morally) for one's deeds.".
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for compos mentis, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin compos (“in control, having mastery”) + mentis (“of mind”). The correct English form is compos mentis, spelled C-O-M-P-O-S- -M-E-N-T-I-S.
Definition
- 1Of sound mind, sane; thus fully accountable (legally and/or morally) for one's deeds.
Etymology
From Latin compos (“in control, having mastery”) + mentis (“of mind”).
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “compos mentis”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-O-M-P-O-S- -M-E-N-T-I-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈkɒmpɒs ˈmɛntɪs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.