# penalty

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈpɛn.əl.ti/ · frequency rank #3,322

## Definitions
1. A legal sentence.
2. A punishment for violating rules of procedure.
3. A payment forfeited for an early withdrawal from an account or an investment.
4. In sports:
5. In sports:
6. A disadvantageous consequence of a previous event.

## Etymology
From Middle French pénalité, from pénal, from Latin poenālis, from poena, borrowing of Ancient Greek ποινή (poinḗ), from Proto-Hellenic *kʷoinā́, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷoynéh₂, comprising *kʷey- + *-néh₂.

## Easily confused with
- **Peralta** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penalty-vs-peralta)
- **penal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penal-vs-penalty)

## Common misspellings (11)
`epnalty`, `peanlty`, `penallty`, `penaltty`, `penaltyy`, `penalyt`, `penatly`, `penlaty`, `pennalty`, `pnealty`, `ppenalty`

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