Which to use
“polieren” is a verb and “poliert” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #29,286
- “polieren” frequency rank
- #28,806
- “poliert” frequency rank
- 58092
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | polieren | poliert |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | auf Glanz bringen, durch Reiben glänzend machen, glätten | durch Reiben glänzend gemacht |
Where the eye mixes polieren and poliert
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. polieren runs 8 letters (CVCVVCVC) against poliert's 7 (CVCVVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: polieren vs poliert
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: polieren is [poˈliːʁən] while poliert is [poˈliːɐ̯t]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58092, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
polieren is recorded at frequency rank #29,286, classified as averb, pronounced [poˈliːʁən]. poliert is at rank #28,806, tagged as anadj, pronounced [poˈliːɐ̯t].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 58092, this pair ranks #876,146 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of polieren vs poliert
Shared letters: eilopr. Private to "polieren": n. Private to "poliert": t.
"polieren" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC · "poliert" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "polieren" for "poliert" ever safe?
Which is more common, "polieren" or "poliert"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "polieren" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "poliert" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #876,146 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "polieren" and "poliert" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "poliert vs postiert". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #876,146 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.