# pang vs past

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### pang
*noun · IPA /pæŋ/ · frequency rank #25,163*
A paroxysm of extreme physical pain or anguish; a feeling of sudden and transitory agony; a throe.

### past
*noun · IPA /pɑːst/ · frequency rank #437*
The period of time that has already happened, in contrast to the present and the future.

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