# pain

> English word · Noun · IPA /peɪn/ · frequency rank #996

## Definitions
1. An ache or bodily suffering, or an instance of this; an unpleasant sensation, resulting from a derangement of functions, disease, or injury by violence; hurt.
2. An ache or bodily suffering, or an instance of this; an unpleasant sensation, resulting from a derangement of functions, disease, or injury by violence; hurt.
3. The condition or fact of suffering or anguish especially mental, as opposed to pleasure; torment; distress
4. An annoying person or thing.
5. Suffering inflicted as punishment or penalty.
6. Labour; effort; great care or trouble taken in doing something.

## Etymology
From Middle English peyne, payne, from Old French and Anglo-Norman peine, paine, from Latin poena (“punishment, pain”), from Ancient Greek ποινή (poinḗ, “bloodmoney, weregild, fine, price paid, penalty”), from Proto-Hellenic *kʷoinā́, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷoynéh₂ (“payment”) (whence also Proto-Slavic *cěnà (“price”)).
Doublet of peine. Compare Danish pine, Norwegian Bokmål pine, German Pein, Dutch pijn, Afrikaans pyn. See also pine (the verb). Partly displaced native Old English sār (whence Modern English sore).

## Easily confused with
- **pi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pain-vs-pi)
- **pay** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pain-vs-pay)
- **Pan** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pain-vs-pan)
- **pen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pain-vs-pen)
- **pin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pain-vs-pin)
- **pit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pain-vs-pit)
- **pat** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pain-vs-pat)
- **pic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pain-vs-pic)
- **pie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pain-vs-pie)
- **par** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pain-vs-par)
- **pig** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pain-vs-pig)
- **PAL** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pain-vs-pal)
- **pam** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pain-vs-pam)
- **pas** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pain-vs-pas)
- **phi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pain-vs-phi)
- **pun** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pain-vs-pun)
- **paw** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pain-vs-paw)
- **psi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pain-vs-psi)
- **Pak** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pain-vs-pak)
- **pip** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pain-vs-pip)

## Common misspellings (5)
`apin`, `painn`, `pani`, `pian`, `ppain`

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