composite
/ˈkɒmpəzɪt/
"composite" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“composite” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,779 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #7,779
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 13
- tracked misspellings
- 5
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Made up of multiple components; compound or complex.
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 | composite |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈkɒmpəzɪt/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #7,779 |
| Misspellings tracked | 13 |
| Confusable pairs | 5 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “composite” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for composite is 9 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkɒmpəzɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,779 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for composite, with forms such as "ccomposite", "cmoposite", and "commposite". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "compost", "composure", "compose", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French composite, from Latin compositus, past participle of compōnō (“put together”). Doublet of compost, compote, and kompot. The correct English form is composite, spelled C-O-M-P-O-S-I-T-E.
Definition
- 1Made up of multiple components; compound or complex.
- 2Being a mixture of Ionic and Corinthian styles.
- 3Having factors other than itself and one; not prime and not one.
- 4Belonging to the Asteraceae family (formerly known as Compositae), bearing involucrate heads of many small florets.
- 5Employing multiple exposures on a single plate, so as to create an average view of something, such as faces in physiognomy.
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French composite, from Latin compositus, past participle of compōnō (“put together”). Doublet of compost, compote, and kompot.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ccomposite,cmoposite,commposite,comopsite,compoiste,composiet,compositte,compossite,compostie,compposite,compsoite,copmosite,ocmposite
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of composite - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
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Using “composite”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-O-M-P-O-S-I-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈkɒmpəzɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “compost” - see the side-by-side comparison. composite vs compost
- 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.