comprise
/kəmˈpɹaɪz/
"comprise" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“comprise” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #12,565 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #12,565
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 6
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To be made up of; to consist of (especially a comprehensive list of parts).
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 | comprise |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /kəmˈpɹaɪz/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #12,565 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 6 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “comprise” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for comprise is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kəmˈpɹaɪz/. Corpus data places it at rank #12,565 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for comprise, with forms such as "ccomprise", "cmoprise", and "commprise". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "comprises", "comprised", "compromise", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English comprisen, from Old French compris, past participle of comprendre, from Latin comprehendere, contr. comprendere, past participle comprehensus (“to comprehend”); see comprehend. Compare apprise, reprise, surprise. The correct English form is comprise, spelled C-O-M-P-R-I-S-E.
Definition
- 1To be made up of; to consist of (especially a comprehensive list of parts).
- 2To compose; to constitute.
- 3To include, contain, or be made up of, defining the minimum elements, whether essential or inessential to define an invention.
Etymology
From Middle English comprisen, from Old French compris, past participle of comprendre, from Latin comprehendere, contr. comprendere, past participle comprehensus (“to comprehend”); see comprehend. Compare apprise, reprise, surprise.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ccomprise,cmoprise,commprise,compirse,compprise,compries,comprrise,comprsie,comrpise,copmrise,ocmprise
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of comprise - 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.
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 "comprise"?
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Using “comprise”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-O-M-P-R-I-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /kəmˈpɹaɪz/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “comprises” - see the side-by-side comparison. comprise vs comprises
- 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.