polis
/ˈpɒ.lɪs/noun
polis is spelled P-O-L-I-S: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 39,832nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, polis means “A Greek city-state” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of polis is poleis or polises.
How many letters and syllables are in polis?
| Letters | 5: P-O-L-I-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 39,832nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is polis?
Polis appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 39,832nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce polis?
- /ˈpɒ.lɪs/
- /ˈpoʊ.lɪs/
Polis has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What rhymes with polis?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as polis.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: spoil.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of polis
- poleis plural
- polises plural
- pollis
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does polis mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A Greek city-state.
- 2
IrelandScotlandThe police.
- 3
IrelandScotlandA police officer.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Polis in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a city or city-state:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does polis come from?
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek πόλις (pólis, “fortified town; city state”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).