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# Complex vs. Complicated
- URL: https://nolongerset.com/complex-vs-complicated/
- Published: 2023-08-02T15:29:04.000Z
- Updated: 2026-05-08T12:34:39.000Z
- Description: The difference between complex and complicated explained in under 100 words. #Under100
- Author: Mike Wolfe
- Tags: Under 100, #Import 2026-05-20 02:59

Complex and complicated systems are fundamentally different.

A **complicated** system involves many moving parts, but they interact from one to the next in a **linear and predictable** way.

A **complex** system also involves many moving parts, but they interact among each other in **random and unpredictable** ways.

Software projects of any useful size involve many moving parts. As developers, we should strive to **build applications** that are merely **complicated rather than complex**.