# penance vs Penang

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### penance
*noun · IPA /ˈpɛn.əns/ · frequency rank #24,540*
A voluntary self-imposed punishment for a sinful act or wrongdoing. It may be intended to serve as reparation for the act.

### Penang
*name · IPA /peˈnaŋ/ · frequency rank #30,913*
A state in western Malaysia. Capital: George Town.

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