pang

/pæŋ/

//pæŋ// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"pang" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pang” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,163. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,163
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A paroxysm of extreme physical pain or anguish; a feeling of sudden and transitory agony; a throe.

Corpus desk

Index EN-pang · pang · English

pang · rank #25,163 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,163
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH padre

Nearest frequency peer: padre (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “pang”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “pang” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

pang vs PG
0% similar
pang vs pay
50% similar
pang vs pen
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for pang
PropertyValue
Headwordpang
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pæŋ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#25,163
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “pang”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).panglands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “padre” (#25,162), “paddock” (#25,161), “Paddington” (#25,160). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “pang” is #25,163. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around pang (IPA /pæŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #25,163 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for pang, with forms such as "apng", "pagn", and "pangg". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "PG", "pay", "pen", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: The origin of the noun is uncertain; it is possibly derived from Middle English *pange, perhaps an altered form of prange, prōnge (“affliction, agony, pain; pointed instrument”) as in prongys of deth (“pangs of death, death throes”), from Anglo-Latin pronga… The correct English form is pang, spelled P-A-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A paroxysm of extreme physical pain or anguish; a feeling of sudden and transitory agony; a throe.
  2. 2
    A sudden sharp feeling of an emotional or mental nature, as of joy or sorrow.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how pang appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. War[wick]. See how the pangs of death do make him grin. / Sal[isbury]. Diſturbe him not, let him paſſe peaceably.
  2. He is knight dubb'd with vnhatche'd Rapier, and on carpet conſideration, but he is a diuell in priuate brall, soules and bodies hath he diuorc'd three, and his incenſement at this moment is ſo implacable, that ſatisfaction can be none, but by pangs of death and ſepulcher: Hob, nob, is his word: giu't or take't.

Etymology

The origin of the noun is uncertain; it is possibly derived from Middle English *pange, perhaps an altered form of prange, prōnge (“affliction, agony, pain; pointed instrument”) as in prongys of deth (“pangs of death, death throes”), from Anglo-Latin pronga, of unknown origin. Perhaps connected with Middle Dutch prange, pranghe (“instrument for pinching”) (modern Dutch prang (“horse restraint; fetter, neck iron”)), Middle Low German prange (“pole, stake; (possibly) kind of pillory or stocks”), Old English pyngan (“to prick”). The word may thus be related to prong. The verb is derived from the noun.

Synonyms

stabtwinge

This word in other languages

punzada(Español)Schmerz(Deutsch)surto(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • apng
  • pagn
  • pangg
  • panng
  • pnag
  • ppang

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pang - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

apng2pagn2pangg1panng1pnag2ppang1
Edit distance from "pang"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "pang"?
"pang" is spelled P-A-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /pæŋ/.
What does "pang" mean?
As a noun, "pang" means: A paroxysm of extreme physical pain or anguish; a feeling of sudden and transitory agony; a throe.
What words are commonly confused with "pang"?
"pang" is commonly confused with "PG", "pay", "pen". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pang"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pang" is /pæŋ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "pang"?
The origin of the noun is uncertain; it is possibly derived from Middle English *pange, perhaps an altered form of prange, prōnge (“affliction, agony, pain; pointed instrument”) as in prongys of deth (“pangs of death, death throes”), from Anglo-La... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "pang", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

mora#25,144Marr#25,132kiln#25,113sous#25,213

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

sully6 variantsfolio6 variantsalibi6 variantsArias6 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list