# perm vs pew

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### perm
*noun · IPA /pɝm/ · frequency rank #24,863*
Clipping of permanent wave (“hairstyle”).

### pew
*noun · IPA /pjuː/ · frequency rank #16,994*
One of the long benches in a church, seating several persons, usually fixed to the floor and facing the chancel.

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