# Use of "compliancy" versus "compliance" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 16, 2015, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-compliancy-versus-compliance/737708 "2015-11-16T16:39:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2015, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-compliancy-versus-compliance/737708/1 "2015-11-16T16:39:17Z")
I’m in a training class this week where we are discussing adherence to governmental and industry standards such as HIPAA, GLBA, Sarbox, etc. yeah, I know, sounds exciting, right? Anyway, the dude presenting this morning is just in love with the word “compliancy”. It is really bugging me, because I can’t figure out why he doesn’t just say “compliance”. It seems like every sentence he has said, the word compliance fits, and, I don’t know, would just _sounds_ better. Compliancy sounds like a word someone made up. A quick google-fu basically defines compliancy as **COMPLIANCE**. So why not just use the source word? Just bugging me. Why use the word compliancy instead of compliance? ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-compliancy-versus-compliance/737708/2 "2015-11-17T00:16:44Z")
Perhaps you could ask the presenter, in a non threatening manner, why he chose that word. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-compliancy-versus-compliance/737708/3 "2015-11-17T00:22:48Z")
> [@leftfield6](#): > > I’m in a training class this week where we are discussing adherence to governmental and industry standards such as HIPAA, GLBA, Sarbox, etc. yeah, I know, sounds exciting, right? > > Anyway, the dude presenting this morning is just in love with the word “compliancy”. It is really bugging me, because I can’t figure out why he doesn’t just say “compliance”. It seems like every sentence he has said, the word compliance fits, and, I don’t know, would just _sounds_ better. Compliancy sounds like a word someone made up. A quick google-fu basically defines compliancy as **COMPLIANCE**. > > So why not just use the source word? > > Just bugging me. Why use the word compliancy instead of compliance? Because it sounds fancier. The dude is a government-bureaucrat nerd who is fucking up our precious English language. He probably says “utilization” and uses lots and lots of acronyms too, right? ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-compliancy-versus-compliance/737708/4 "2015-11-17T00:26:57Z")
> [@leftfield6](#): > > Compliancy sounds like a word someone made up. He has good imaginativeness! ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-compliancy-versus-compliance/737708/5 "2015-11-17T00:55:44Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > He has good imaginativeness! He had good imaginance. …good imaginancy. …good imaginitivity. …good hypothetical situational imaginitive awareness capabilities. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-compliancy-versus-compliance/737708/6 "2015-11-17T01:31:14Z")
Very broadly, and with many exceptions, the _-ancy_ suffix indicates quality, state, or condition, whereas the _-ance_ suffix indicates action or process. So, _infancy_, the quality or state of being an infant; _bouyancy_, the quality of being bouyant; _vacancy_, the quality of being vacant. But _assistance_, that which assists someone or something; _riddance_ that which rids us of something. But this distinction emerged quite late on, and at lot of words which came into the language before it did do not follow the “rule”. So _diligence_, _elegance_ and _prudence_ might be _diligency_, _elegancy_ and _prudency_ if they had made it into the language later than they did. If we are talking about the action of complying then we would expect _compliance_; “his compliance with the regulations was less than satisfactory”. But if are talking about the quality or state of being compliant, then we would expect _compliancy_; “his compliancy was shown in his failure to object to the string of lovers taken by his wife”. ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-compliancy-versus-compliance/737708/7 "2015-11-17T01:53:38Z")
So, here’s the thing. I kinda know the guy, he works in my department. I honestly don’t think he is trying to use a word because it sounds fancy, I think he is just a bit of a dumbass. I think he has convinced himself that compliancy IS the only correct word that fits. According to [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com), and other sites, those two words are perfectly interchangeable. It just sounds wrong to my ear. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-compliancy-versus-compliance/737708/8 "2015-11-17T02:39:29Z")
I think **UDS** ’ distinction is not nearly so strong as presented. For example, I do think of _diligence_ as an action or process. (Consider “due diligence”–that’s something you have to _do_.) ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-compliancy-versus-compliance/737708/9 "2015-11-17T03:09:01Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > I think **UDS** ’ distinction is not nearly so strong as presented. For example, I do think of _diligence_ as an action or process. (Consider “due diligence”–that’s something you have to _do_.) “Due diligence” is a jargon term, though. Strictly speaking, “all due diligence” is a quality you bring to bear in the investigations you make when, e.g., preparing an SEC filing. What you _do_, though, is the investigation, not the diligence. When lawyers talk about doing due diligence, that’s just a shorthand for doing investigations, or drafting documents, or whatever, with the degree of diligence required to comply with the relevant statute/to avoid incurring liability/etc. But, yes, the “rule” (and I use the inverted commas deliberately) is a very weak one. There are probably lots of qualities, states, etc that conventionally get the _-ance/-ence_ suffix (_diligence_ being one). But perhaps the reverse is less true? There aren’t that many actions/processes that get the _-ancy/-ency_ suffix. If so, that would explai why _compliancy_ in the sense of “the act of complying with applicable standards” sounds odd to the OP. ---
**Author:** ![nicky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f0a364/32.png) [@nicky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nicky)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2015, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-compliancy-versus-compliance/737708/10 "2015-11-17T08:32:37Z")
To me, compliancy is to compliance as truthiness is to truth. ---
**Author:** ![Beguiled](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aca169/32.png) [@Beguiled](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beguiled)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-compliancy-versus-compliance/737708/11 "2017-05-31T16:22:35Z")
Now there are two people speaking the same standard. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2017, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-compliancy-versus-compliance/737708/12 "2017-05-31T22:07:10Z")
**Beguiled** , we prefer that old threads in GQ only be revived to contribute new factual information. Since this does not, I’m closing it. Colibri General Questions Moderator