Compliment or Complement? How to Stop Mixing Up These Commonly Confused Words

If you’ve ever mixed up compliment and complement before, one easy way to remember which one to use is to remember that compliment is only used when you’re referring to expressing praise or admiration:

Sophie complimented Rachel on her stylish new coat.

Ralph received many compliments about his presentation.

Complement has a few meanings, but none of them are related to expressing praise. For example, one of its meanings is “something that fills up, completes, or makes better or perfect” (“Complement, n. [1a]), such as in the following:

The roasted sweet potato was a nice complement to the main dish.

Another definition is “the full quantity, number, or assortment needed or included” (“Complement, n. [1b(1)]), like so:

            The full complement of artists began working on painting the large mural.

You can remember the general idea of complement’s definitions by focusing on the spelling of the word. As Merriam-Webster points out in a note in their complement entry, “Complement shares its first two syllables with the word complete, and its meanings relate to completion . . .” (“Complement, n. [1c]”).

You may have also heard complement used in relation to English grammar. You can learn more about what complements are in our Grammar Topics post on it.

Works Cited

“Complement, n. (1a).” Merriam-Webster, unabridged.merriam-webster.com/collegiate/complement.

“Complement, n. (1b[1]).” Merriam-Webster, unabridged.merriam-webster.com/collegiate/complement.

“Complement, n. (1c).” Merriam-Webster, unabridged.merriam-webster.com/collegiate/complement.