# paused vs poised

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### paused
*verb · IPA /pɔːzd/ · frequency rank #17,689*
simple past and past participle of pause

### poised
*adjective · IPA /pɔɪzd/ · frequency rank #16,560*
Possessing poise, having self-confidence.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/paused-vs-poised