# pong vs pox

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### pong
*noun · IPA /pɒŋ/ · frequency rank #16,094*
A stench, a bad smell.

### pox
*noun · IPA /pɑks/ · frequency rank #28,674*
A disease characterized by purulent skin eruptions that may leave pockmarks.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-09-03.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pong-vs-pox