What is the difference between complain about and complain of?

Both are correct. 'Complain about' is common for general dissatisfaction (complain about the service). 'Complain of' is more formal and often used for symptoms/pain (complain of a headache).

Which is more common: complain about or complain of?

'Complain about' is more common in everyday English. 'Complain of' is more formal and typically used in medical contexts (The patient complained of chest pain) or formal complaints.

Complain About or Complain Of: What's the Difference?

Quick Answer

Complain about = express dissatisfaction (common, everyday)

Complain of = report symptoms/pain (formal, medical)

Explanation

COMPLAIN ABOUT 😤

Express dissatisfaction

Common in everyday speech

"She complained about the noise."

"Stop complaining about the weather!"

COMPLAIN OF 🏥

Report symptoms or problems

Formal, often medical context

"The patient complained of dizziness."

"He complained of chest pain."

Key difference: "Complain about" focuses on expressing unhappiness. "Complain of" focuses on reporting a specific problem (especially physical symptoms).

In many cases, both work:

"He complained about back pain." = casual

"He complained of back pain." = more formal/medical

Examples

Complain ABOUT (everyday complaints):

✔Customers often complain about the slow service.

✔She's always complaining about something.

✔They complained about the hotel conditions.

Complain OF (symptoms/formal):

✔The patient complained of severe headaches.

✔She complained of feeling tired all the time.

✔He complained of shortness of breath.

Other Patterns with "Complain"

complain to someone

Direct a complaint at someone

"I complained to the manager about the service."

complain that + clause

Explain what the complaint is

"She complained that the food was cold."

Practice

Choose "about" or "of":

"The employee complained _____ his low salary, and he also complained _____ feeling undervalued."

Show answer

Answer: The employee complained about his low salary, and he also complained of feeling undervalued.

"About" for the everyday complaint (salary), "of" for the internal feeling/state. Both could use "about" in casual speech.

Related Grammar

Complain to someone about something

Use complain to for the recipient and complain about for the problem: she complained to the manager about the noise. Complain of is often used when reporting symptoms or discomfort, especially in formal accounts.

Practise the distinction

They complained ___ the receptionist about the room.
Show answer and explanation
to
The receptionist receives the complaint.
He complained ___ a headache.
Show answer and explanation
of
Complain of is a common symptom-reporting pattern.
Rewrite: The noise was the reason for our complaint.
Show answer and explanation
We complained about the noise.
About introduces the problem.