poise

/pɔɪz/

//pɔɪz// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"poise" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“poise” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #27,600. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#27,600
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A state of balance, equilibrium or stability.

Corpus desk

Index EN-poise · poise · English

poise · rank #27,600 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #27,600
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH PMS

Nearest frequency peer: PMS (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “poise”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “poise” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

poise vs pos
60% similar
poise vs post
60% similar
poise vs pope
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for poise
PropertyValue
Headwordpoise
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɔɪz/
Letters5
Frequency rank#27,600
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “poise”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).poiselands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “PMS” (#27,599), “polygon” (#27,601), “ported” (#27,602). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “poise” is #27,600. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around poise (IPA /pɔɪz/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #27,600 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for poise, with forms such as "opise", "piose", and "poies". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "pos", "post", "pope", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English poys, poyse, from Anglo-Norman pois, Middle French pois (“weight”) and Anglo-Norman poise, Middle French poise (“measure of weight”), from Latin pendere (“to weigh, ponder, think”). Doublet of peise. The correct English form is poise, spelled P-O-I-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A state of balance, equilibrium or stability.
  2. 2
    Composure; freedom from embarrassment or affectation.
  3. 3
    Mien; bearing or deportment of the head or body.
  4. 4
    A condition of hovering, or being suspended.
  5. 5
    A CGS unit of dynamic viscosity equal to one dyne-second per square centimetre.
  6. 6
    Weight; an amount of weight, the amount something weighs.
  7. 7
    The weight, or mass of metal, used in weighing, to balance the substance weighed.
  8. 8
    That which causes a balance; a counterweight.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how poise appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. plants and animals, which are all made up of and nourished by water, and perhaps never return to water again, do not keep things at a poise
  2. Letterpress and offset gloss varnishes normally have viscosities varying from 50 to 250 poises; they must stain the paper as little as possible, have insufficient tack to cause plucking, […]

Etymology

From Middle English poys, poyse, from Anglo-Norman pois, Middle French pois (“weight”) and Anglo-Norman poise, Middle French poise (“measure of weight”), from Latin pendere (“to weigh, ponder, think”). Doublet of peise.

This word in other languages

contrapeso(Español)assurance(Français)Selbstsicherheit(Deutsch)compostura(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • opise
  • piose
  • poies
  • poisse
  • posie
  • ppoise

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of poise - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

opise2piose2poies2poisse1posie2ppoise1
Edit distance from "poise"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "poise"?
"poise" is spelled P-O-I-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /pɔɪz/.
What does "poise" mean?
As a noun, "poise" means: A state of balance, equilibrium or stability.
What words are commonly confused with "poise"?
"poise" is commonly confused with "pos", "post", "pope". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "poise"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "poise" is /pɔɪz/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "poise"?
From Middle English poys, poyse, from Anglo-Norman pois, Middle French pois (“weight”) and Anglo-Norman poise, Middle French poise (“measure of weight”), from Latin pendere (“to weigh, ponder, think”). Doublet of peise. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "poise", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

petal#27,596Rambo#27,613Raoul#27,615muses#27,576

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

rupee6 variantsmacs6 variantskoala6 variantsJPEG6 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list