Compliment vs. Complement
The confusion between these two words is so common!
Why the confusion
- The words are one letter off, so it could just be a spelling mistake.
- Both can be a noun or a verb
- These two words SEEM similar in meaning because they both have positive connotations, but they are actually quite different.
Differences
So, let’s take a look at these and tease out the nuances of both.
Compliment
As a verb, this means “to say something nice about another” (as a noun, it is the nice thing that is said). Some examples would be:
- Your new haircut really suits you.
- The work Suzahn did on that project was stellar.
- John is such a hard worker.
All of these sentences contain compliments to you, Suzahn, and John, respectively.
The adjective form is “complimentary.” An example would be:
- People who are overly complimentary often seem insincere. (These people say many nice things directly to the people they are about.)
Complement
As a verb, this means “to enhance, make complete, or accompany” (and, as a noun, it is the thing enhancing, completing, or accompanying). Some examples would be:
- Cinnamon is an excellent complement to apples. (Cinnamon enhances apples.)
- John’s ability to look at the big picture really complements Suzahn’s attention to detail. (John’s abilities complete Suzahn’s, and vice versa)
And the adjective form is “complementary”, as shown here:
- Blue and orange are complementary colors. (They complete and enhance each other.)
As you can see, these are really quite different in meaning! Learn more in our Proofreading and Grammar course.
