pénalty

[penalti]

/[penalti]/ noun

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

The verdict

“pénalty” is outside the top-ranked German vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Strafe zur Entschädigung für ein gravierendes Foul, bestehend aus der Gewährung eines Schusses auf das allein vom Torwart verteidigte Tor

Key facts for pénalty
PropertyValue
Headwordpénalty
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[penalti]
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pénalty” sits in German frequency

pénalty falls outside the top-100,000 ranked German words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for pénalty is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [penalti]. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Strafe zur Entschädigung für ein gravierendes Foul, bestehend aus der Gewährung eines Schusses auf das allein vom Torwart verteidigte Tor".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for pénalty, suggesting the orthography follows predictable German patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is pénalty, spelled P-É-N-A-L-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Strafe zur Entschädigung für ein gravierendes Foul, bestehend aus der Gewährung eines Schusses auf das allein vom Torwart verteidigte Tor

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "pénalty"?
"pénalty" is spelled P-É-N-A-L-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is [penalti].
What does "pénalty" mean?
As a noun, "pénalty" means: Strafe zur Entschädigung für ein gravierendes Foul, bestehend aus der Gewährung eines Schusses auf das allein vom Torwart verteidigte Tor
How do you pronounce "pénalty"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pénalty" is [penalti]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "pénalty" come from?
"pénalty" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

Using “pénalty”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is P-É-N-A-L-T-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [penalti] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list