English has a way of humbling even the most meticulous grammarians. I’d venture to guess that many of us have confused or swapped “comprise” and “compose” at least once or twice. Not only do they sound similar, but both verbs deal with how parts relate to a whole. By definition, “comprise” means “consist of; be made up of,” while “compose” (when referring to elements) means “constitute or make up (a whole).” Simple, right? Not quite. In practice, the nuance between these two words can bewilder even the most seasoned writers. But there’s a trick for telling them apart, and it all depends on the order of the sentence.
Consider this example: “The U.S. comprises 50 states” vs. “The United States composes 50 states.” The first option is correct, but why? “Comprise” is used when the thing that is the whole is listed before the parts. Conversely, “compose” is used when the parts are listed before the whole. Following this rule, we can flip the previous example around for the correct usage of “compose”: “Fifty states compose the United States.” The parts (the 50 states) come before the whole (the United States).
Here’s another example. Let’s picture a bouquet of flowers. You might say, “The bouquet comprises roses and peonies” because the whole (the bouquet) comprises the parts (roses and peonies). Similarly, you’d say, “Roses and peonies compose the bouquet” because the parts (roses and peonies) compose the whole (the bouquet).
However, knowing the difference between “comprise” and “compose” isn’t the only difficulty here. Another common blunder is the phrase “is comprised of,” as in, “The bouquet is comprised of roses and peonies.” According to grammarians, this use of passive voice is never correct — it would be like saying “is sold of” instead of “sells.” However, you can say, “The bouquet is composed of roses and peonies.” (In this passive form, the previous guidance about the parts being before the whole doesn’t apply.) The mistake with passive voice likely happens because of the confusion between “comprise” and “compose,” but if neither “compose” nor “comprise” fits the bill, you might try “constitute,” a verb that means “to be (a part) of a whole.”
If you’re feeling swept up in the “comprise” vs. “compose” conundrum, you’re not alone, but now you know the key to determining the difference: “Comprise” starts with the whole, and “compose” starts with the parts. And you receive bonus points if you avoid the phrase “is comprised of” altogether. If this is still too tedious, there’s no shame in using tried-and-true stand-ins like “includes,” “consists of,” or “makes up” — they’re clear, correct, and easier to remember.
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