compilévscompliceWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: compilé is a verb, complice is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“compilé” is a verb and “complice” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#28,494
“compilé” frequency rank
#7,290
“complice” frequency rank
35784
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature compilé complice
Definition Participe passé masculin singulier de compiler. Qui participe au délit ou au crime commis par un autre.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set compilé and complice apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
compilé
8 ch
complice

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: compilé is \kɔ̃.pi.le\ while complice is \kɔ̃.plis\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35784, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

compilé is recorded at frequency rank #28,494, classified as averb, pronounced \kɔ̃.pi.le\. complice is at rank #7,290, tagged as anadj, pronounced \kɔ̃.plis\.

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 35784, this pair ranks #274,264 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of compilé vs complice

Shared letters: cilmop. Private to "compilé": é. Private to "complice": e.

"compilé" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV  ·  "complice" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • compliceccomplice · cmoplice · comlpice · commplice · compilce · complcie · complicce · compliec

Frequency comparison

compilé#28,494
complice#7,290

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "compilé" and "complice" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "compilé" is a verb and "complice" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "compilé" or "complice"?
"complice" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,290 in our French list, against #28,494 for "compilé". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering compilé vs complice

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “compilé”; for an adjective, it's “complice”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “compilé” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list