Dutch vs Polish: 300 Words That Are Nearly Identical

If you already speak Polish, or you're coming from Dutch and eyeing Polish next, you'll notice something helpful right away: plenty of everyday words look almost the same in both languages. Words like plan, agent, hotel, bank, bar and partner are spelled identically in Dutch and Polish, and many more differ by only a letter or two, such as Dutch nummer vs Polish numer, or Dutch paar vs Polish para. This isn't because the two languages are closely related - it's because both borrowed from the same international stock of Latin, French and English vocabulary.

This page puts such pairs side by side so you can see the patterns for yourself and start recognizing words on sight rather than memorizing them one by one. Along with the list you'll find practical tips on the spelling shifts to expect, a false-friend trap worth knowing, and how to drill the set with spaced repetition in Vocab Voyage - you type the Dutch word for each English prompt, and accents are forgiven.

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Dutch vs Polish: 300 Words That Are Nearly Identical: the list

#EnglishDutchPolish
1not niet nie
2problem probleem problem
3mom mama mama
4car auto auto
5doctor dokter doktor
6plan plan plan
7idea idee idea
8moment moment moment
9pair paar para
10agent agent agent
11number nummer numer
12order orde order
13point punt punkt
14sex seks seks
15president president prezydent
16dad papa papa
17hotel hotel hotel
18system systeem system
19interest interesse interes
20bank bank bank
21club club klub
22murder moord mord
23hard hard hard
24partner partner partner
25bar bar bar
26program programma program
27computer computer komputer
28test test test
29success succes sukces
30address adres adres
31ball bal bal
32park park park
33class klas klasa
34report rapport raport
35drink drank drink
36weekend weekend weekend
37professor professor profesor
38process proces proces
39lunch lunch lunch
40wall muur mur
41dna dna dna
42cost kost koszt
43show show show
44center centrum centrum
45band band band
46project project projekt
47energy energie energia
48cell cel cela
49radio radio radio
50kilometer kilometer kilometr
51material materiaal materiał
52role rol rola
53pilot piloot pilot
54cool cool cool
55fan fan fan
56monster monster monster
57extra extra extra
58alarm alarm alarm
59apartment appartement apartament
60talent talent talent
61ring ring ring
62leader leider lider
63magic magie magia
64laboratory laboratorium laboratorium
65motor motor motor
66internet internet internet
67start start start
68respect respect respekt
69virus virus wirus
70percent procent procent
71ocean oceaan ocean
72tunnel tunnel tunel
73alcohol alcohol alkohol
74issue kwestie kwestia
75video video wideo
76minister minister minister
77text tekst tekst
78taste smaak smak
79federal federale federalny
80senator senator senator
81bus bus bus
82model model model
83date date data
84top top top
85scene scène scena
86sms sms sms
87demon demoon demon
88concert concert koncert
89humor humor humor
90steel staal stal
91assistant assistent asystent
92taxi taxi taxi
93machine machine machina
94staff personeel personel
95party partij partia
96trade handel handel
97helicopter helikopter helikopter
98hall hal hall
99alibi alibi alibi
100media media media
101kilo kilo kilo
102temperature temperatuur temperatura
103sport sport sport
104symbol symbool symbol
105copy kopie kopię
106pizza pizza pizza
107character karakter charakter
108museum museum muzeum
109surgeon chirurg chirurg
110technology technologie technologia
111metal metaal metal
112whisky whisky whisky
113block blok blok
114transport transport transport
115bad luck pech pech
116stress stress stres
117product product produkt
118immunity immuniteit immunitet
119jury jury jury
120mass massa masa
121central centrale centralny
122chaos chaos chaos
123incident incident incydent
124manager manager manager
125storm storm sztorm
126salon salon salon
127ambulance ambulance ambulans
128term termijn termin
129rat rat rat
130chip chip chip
131atmosphere atmosfeer atmosfera
132procedure procedure procedura
133race ras rasa
134zombie zombie zombie
135motel motel motel
136studio studio studio
137penis penis penis
138front front front
139profile profiel profil
140uniform uniform uniform
141fort fort fort
142robot robot robot
143market markt market
144throne troon tron
145parking parking parking
146record record rekord
147compliment compliment komplement
148laptop laptop laptop
149toast toast toast
150series serie seria
151priority prioriteit priorytet
152email e-mail email
153accent accent akcent
154status status status
155department department departament
156will testament testament
157psychiatrist psychiater psychiatra
158fashion mode moda
159tip tip tip
160cable kabel kabel
161producer producent producent
162album album album
163sector sector sektor
164radar radar radar
165steak steak stek
166port port port
167scheme schema schemat
168heroin heroïne heroina
169gangster gangster gangster
170guitar gitaar gitara
171euro euro euro
172congress congres kongres
173hamburger hamburger hamburger
174drama drama dramat
175mafia maffia mafia
176vodka wodka wódka
177menu menu menu
178organism organisme organizm
179balloon ballon balon
180villa villa willa
181microphone microfoon mikrofon
182echo echo echo
183genes gen gen
184prime minister premier premier
185hobby hobby hobby
186colony kolonie kolonia
187budget budget budżet
188empire imperium imperium
189pulse puls puls
190opera opera opera
191strategy strategie strategia
192religion religie religia
193tragedy tragedie tragedia
194specialist specialist specjalista
195plastic plastic plastik
196banana banaan banan
197festival festival festiwal
198generator generator generator
199photographer fotograaf fotograf
200poker poker poker
201stadium stadion stadion
202territory territorium terytorium
203campus campus kampus
204therapist therapeut terapeuta
205helmet helm hełm
206dealer dealer dealer
207clan clan klan
208server server serwer
209link link link
210dvd dvd dvd
211wreck wrak wrak
212hook haak hak
213delta delta delta
214protest protest protest
215reporter reporter reporter
216barman barman barman
217cartel kartel kartel
218caliber kaliber kaliber
219gallery galerie galeria
220institute instituut instytut
221pub pub pub
222chemistry chemie chemia
223senate senaat senat
224republic republiek republika
225parade parade parada
226trauma trauma trauma
227sponsor sponsor sponsor
228medium medium medium
229morphine morfine morfina
230impulse impuls impuls
231supermarket supermarkt supermarket
232matter materie materia
233region regio region
234semester semester semestr
235sweater sweater sweter
236psychologist psycholoog psycholog
237calendar kalender kalendarz
238hacker hacker haker
239suggestion suggestie sugestia
240bunker bunker bunkier
241lottery loterij loteria
242surgery chirurgie chirurgia
243laser laser laser
244debate debat debata
245popcorn popcorn popcorn
246philosophy filosofie filozofia
247balcony balkon balkon
248premiere première premiera
249tequila tequila tequila
250portrait portret portret
251grill grill grill
252waiter kelner kelner
253psychopath psychopaat psychopata
254marijuana marihuana marihuana
255ninja ninja ninja
256jazz jazz jazz
257paranoia paranoia paranoja
258plague plaag plaga
259probe sonde sonda
260portal portaal portal
261climate klimaat klimat
262literature literatuur literatura
263yoga yoga joga
264banker bankier bankier
265adrenaline adrenaline adrenalina
266union unie unia
267perfume parfum perfum
268alpha alfa alfa
269puzzle puzzel puzzle
270chili chili chili
271dock dok dok
272telegram telegram telegram
273monitor monitor monitor
274sushi sushi sushi
275continent continent kontynent
276mentor mentor mentor
277architect architect architekt
278sperm sperma sperma
279brandy brandy brandy
280cheerleader cheerleader cheerleaderka
281artifact artefact artefakt
282category categorie kategoria
283compromise compromis kompromis
284vagina vagina wagina
285ufo ufo ufo
286boxer bokser bokser
287cv cv CV
288psychology psychologie psychologia
289ranch ranch rancho
290jam jam jam
291logic logica logika
292spaghetti spaghetti spaghetti
293horror horror horror
294melody melodie melodia
295ballet ballet balet
296tennis tennis tenis
297pump pomp pompa
298rum rum rum
299reactor reactor reaktor
300ruins ruïne ruina

Tips

Frequently asked questions

Are Dutch and Polish related languages, since so many words look alike?

Not closely - Dutch is a Germanic language and Polish is a Slavic one. The look-alike words here come from shared borrowings, largely from Latin, French and English, rather than from a recent common ancestor.

If the words look almost the same, can I always trust the meaning to match?

Usually, but not always. Most pairs here, like doctor (dokter/doktor) or moment (moment/moment), line up neatly, while a pair such as interesse/interes can pull apart in everyday use, so check the translation instead of assuming.

How should I study this list in Vocab Voyage?

Add the words as flashcards and let spaced repetition bring each one back just before you'd forget it. You type the Dutch word for each English prompt, accents are forgiven, and the near-identical pairs should give you quick early wins before you move on to less obvious vocabulary.

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