4 syllables: com, pli, ci, ty. Stress on pli.
kuhm-PLIS-uh-tee
/kəmˈplɪsəti/
complicity is pronounced kuhm-PLIS-uh-tee (/kəmˈplɪsəti/). It has four syllables (com-pli-ci-ty), with the stress on "pli". Complicity refers to involvement or participation in wrongdoing, especially as an accomplice. It denotes sharing responsibility or aiding in a crime or unethical act, whether through direct action, support, or knowledge. It’s a formal term often used in legal or moral discussions to convey complicity rather than outright commission of the act itself.
Complicity refers to involvement or participation in wrongdoing, especially as an accomplice. It denotes sharing responsibility or aiding in a crime or unethical act, whether through direct action, support, or knowledge. It’s a formal term often used in legal or moral discussions to convey complicity rather than outright commission of the act itself.
"The report highlighted his complicity in the fraud, even though he claimed he was only following orders."
"Investigators charged her with complicity after discovering she knew about the scheme and provided logistical support."
"The professor argued that silence can be a form of complicity in systemic injustice."
You say /kəmˈplɪs.ɪ.ti/. The primary stress falls on the second syllable: com-P-LIS-i-ty, with a light, unstressed first syllable. Start with a schwa /kə/, then /m/ to link into /ˈplɪs/ (as in 'plea' without the 'plea' vocalization), followed by /ɪ/ and /ti/. Think: kuhm-PLIH-sih-tee. IPA: /kəmˈplɪs.ɪ.ti/.
Common errors include misplacing the stress (e.g., say com-PLI-ci-ty with stress on the first or third syllable), merging /plɪs/ into /pliz/ or '/plɪzi/,' and pronouncing the ending as -ty instead of -ti (silent or softened). Correction: maintain primary stress on the second syllable /ˈplɪs.ɪ/ and end with /ti/ as two clear syllables: -si-ty. Practice by isolating /kəm/ + /ˈplɪs.ɪ/ + /ti/ and linking smoothly.
In US and UK, the primary stress remains on the second syllable /ˈplɪs.ɪ/; the ending /ti/ is typically clear in all. US often has slightly looser vowel quality in the first syllable and a more dental-tap /t/ before the final /i/?; UK can show crisper syllable enunciation; AU tends to have more even vowel length and less rhoticity impact since none of the core vowels are rhotic in standard pronunciation. Overall, context and speed modulate vowel length, but the /kəmˈplɪs.ɪ.ti/ skeleton holds consistently across regions.
Two main challenges: the /plɪs/ cluster followed by /ɪ/ creates a rapid consonant-vowel transition that can blur in fast speech, and the final /ti/ can sound like /ti/ or /tiː/ depending on dialect. The initial unstressed /kə-/ also tends to reduce. Focus on enunciating the /pl/ blend, keeping the mid-vowel /ɪ/ distinct, and delivering a crisp /ti/ at the end to avoid ambiguity with related words like 'duplicity' or 'simplicity'.
Note that complicity ends with -ty pronounced as /ti/ rather than /tiː/ in careful speech; the middle syllable /plɪs/ requires a short, lax 'i' and a precise /s/ before the /ɪ/ vowel. The second syllable carries the weight; ensure you don’t slide into 'complicity' sounding like 'complexity' by keeping /plɪs/ distinct and avoiding a /ks/ or /ksɪ/ blend. IPA reference: /kəmˈplɪs.ɪ.ti/.
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Complicity originates from the Latin complicare, meaning to fold together or entangle. The root com- (“together”) combines with plic- (from plicare, to fold). The term entered English via French, with complicité appearing in medieval and early modern contexts to denote mutual involvement, especially in criminal activity. Through the 17th–19th centuries, complicity broadened from a strictly legal sense of joint liability to moral and social implications of shared responsibility. The word’s modern sense emphasizes knowing participation in wrongdoing, even if one does not directly commit the act. The first known uses appear in legal writings and political treatises as courts discussed the extent of participants’ liability, culminating in contemporary usage that spans journalism, law, psychology, and ethics. The word’s cadence and multi-syllabic structure reflect its Latinate heritage, commonly appearing in formal prose and academic discourse. Today, complicity remains a precise term for scenarios involving awareness and active or passive support of illicit actions, rather than mere association.
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Words that rhyme with "complicity"
-ity sounds
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