# past vs pax

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

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

### pax
*noun · IPA /pæks/ · frequency rank #19,655*
A painted, stamped or carved tablet with a representation of Christ or the Virgin Mary, which was kissed by the priest during the Mass ("kiss of peace") and then passed to other officiating clergy and the congregation to be kissed. See also osculatory.

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