English Word Reference Free

composite

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

9 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

open dictionary

Access

Free

no sign-up needed

Detailed reference entry for the English word "composite", 9-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "composite" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "composite" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

composite is anEnglishadj. It means: Made up of multiple components; compound or complex. Pronounced /ˈkɒmpəzɪt/. It ranks #7,779 in English word frequency. Often confused with compost and composure.

Key facts for composite
PropertyValue
Headwordcomposite
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdj
IPA/ˈkɒmpəzɪt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#7,779
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of composite in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for composite is 9 letters long, classified as anadj, 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 Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 13 documented wrong-spelling variants for composite, with forms such as "ccomposite", "cmoposite", and "commposite". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.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. Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is composite, spelled C-O-M-P-O-S-I-T-E, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    Made up of multiple components; compound or complex.
  2. 2
    Being a mixture of Ionic and Corinthian styles.
  3. 3
    Having factors other than itself and one; not prime and not one.
  4. 4
    Belonging to the Asteraceae family (formerly known as Compositae), bearing involucrate heads of many small florets.
  5. 5
    Employing 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

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for composite

Misspelling Variants of "composite"

ccomposite10cmoposite9commposite10comopsite9compoiste9composiet9compositte10compossite10
Misspelling Variants of "composite"

Frequency rank: #7,779 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "composite"?
"composite" is spelled C-O-M-P-O-S-I-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɒmpəzɪt/.
What does "composite" mean?
As an adj, "composite" means: Made up of multiple components; compound or complex.
What words are commonly confused with "composite"?
"composite" is commonly confused with "compost", "composure", "compose". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "composite"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "composite" is /ˈkɒmpəzɪt/. 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 "composite"?
Borrowed from Middle French composite, from Latin compositus, past participle of compōnō (“put together”). Doublet of compost, compote, and kompot. 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter C in our English index:

Explore PlainSpell

Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.