pelvisvspolisWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“pelvis” and “polis” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#26,557
“pelvis” frequency rank
#21,440
“polis” frequency rank
47997
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature pelvis polis
Definition Cavidad del cuerpo humano, en la parte inferior del tronco, y en cuya formación entran los huesos sacro, cóccix e innominados, y las partes blandas. Contiene la terminación del tubo digestivo, la vejiga urinaria y algunos órganos, correspondientes al aparato genital, principalmente en la mujer. Denominación dada a las ciudades-estado independientes de la antigua Grecia, surgidas en la Edad Oscura mediante un proceso de agregación de núcleos y grupos de población (anteriormente vinculados por el oikos o casa) denominado sinecismo.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set pelvis and polis apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
pelvis
5 ch
polis

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. pelvis ([ˈpelβ̞is]) and polis ([ˈpolis]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47997, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

pelvis is recorded at frequency rank #26,557, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈpelβ̞is]. polis is at rank #21,440, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈpolis].

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 47997, this pair ranks #116,908 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of pelvis vs polis

Shared letters: ilps. Private to "pelvis": ev. Private to "polis": o.

"pelvis" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "polis" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • pelviseplvis · pelbis · pelivs · pellvis · pelviss · pelvsi · pelvvis · pevlis
  • polisoplis · plois · poils · poliss · pollis · polsi · ppolis

Frequency comparison

pelvis#26,557
polis#21,440

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "pelvis" and "polis" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈpelβ̞is] versus [ˈpolis]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "pelvis" or "polis"?
"polis" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,440 in our Spanish list, against #26,557 for "pelvis". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering pelvis vs polis

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “pelvis” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list