# apnea

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈæp.ni.ə/ · frequency rank #28,817

## Definitions
1. The cessation of breathing, most often in reference to transient instances thereof during sleep.

## Etymology
From a- + -pnea, from the New Latin apnoea, from the Ancient Greek ἄπνοια (ápnoia), formed from ἀ- (a-, “absence of”) + πνοή (pnoḗ, “breathing”).

## Easily confused with
- **area** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/apnea-vs-area)
- **Arne** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/apnea-vs-arne)
- **appear** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/apnea-vs-appear)
- **appeal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/apnea-vs-appeal)
- **ana** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ana-vs-apnea)
- **ape** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ape-vs-apnea)
- **apa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/apa-vs-apnea)
- **anna** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/anna-vs-apnea)
- **Anne** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/anne-vs-apnea)
- **apex** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/apex-vs-apnea)
- **acne** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/acne-vs-apnea)
- **apes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/apes-vs-apnea)
- **anew** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/anew-vs-apnea)
- **Anya** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/anya-vs-apnea)
- **Anda** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/anda-vs-apnea)
- **APEC** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/apec-vs-apnea)
- **Agnes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/agnes-vs-apnea)
- **annex** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/annex-vs-apnea)
- **Abner** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/abner-vs-apnea)
- **Agnew** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/agnew-vs-apnea)

## Common misspellings (6)
`anpea`, `apena`, `apnae`, `apnnea`, `appnea`, `panea`

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