Which to use
“complexe” and “complice” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,808
- “complexe” frequency rank
- #7,290
- “complice” frequency rank
- 9098
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | complexe | complice |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui n’est pas simple ; qui embrasse des éléments divers et entremêlés. | Qui participe au délit ou au crime commis par un autre. |
Where the eye mixes complexe and complice
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: complexe vs complice
A purely visual mix-up. complexe (\kɔ̃.plɛks\) and complice (\kɔ̃.plis\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9098, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
complexe is recorded at frequency rank #1,808, classified as anadj, pronounced \kɔ̃.plɛks\. 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 9098, this pair ranks #417,801 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of complexe vs complice
Shared letters: celmop. Private to "complexe": x. Private to "complice": i.
"complexe" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV · "complice" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "complexe" and "complice" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "complexe" or "complice"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "complexe" and "complice" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "complexe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "complice" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #417,801 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "complexe" and "complice" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "complaire vs complice". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #417,801 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.