# pain vs paying

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### pain
*noun · IPA /peɪn/ · frequency rank #996*
An ache or bodily suffering, or an instance of this; an unpleasant sensation, resulting from a derangement of functions, disease, or injury by violence; hurt.

### paying
*verb · IPA /ˈpeɪ.ɪŋ/ · frequency rank #1,834*
present participle and gerund of pay

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pain-vs-paying