penance

/ˈpɛn.əns/

//ˈpɛn.əns// noun

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

"penance" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“penance” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #24,540. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#24,540
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A voluntary self-imposed punishment for a sinful act or wrongdoing. It may be intended to serve as reparation for the act.

Corpus desk

Index EN-penance · penance · English

penance · rank #24,540 · 11 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #24,540
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH parentheses

Nearest frequency peer: parentheses (-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 “penance”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “penance” 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).

penance vs pence
71% similar
penance vs Penang
57% similar
penance vs Penzance
75% similar

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

Key facts for penance
PropertyValue
Headwordpenance
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɛn.əns/
Letters7
Frequency rank#24,540
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “penance”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).penancelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “parentheses” (#24,539), “peroxide” (#24,541), “Peugeot” (#24,542). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “penance” is #24,540. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around penance (IPA /ˈpɛn.əns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #24,540 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for penance, with forms such as "epnance", "peannce", and "penacne". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "pence", "Penang", "Penzance", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English penaunce, from Anglo-Norman, from Old French peneance, from Latin paenitentia (“repentance, penitence”). Doublet of penitence. The correct English form is penance, spelled P-E-N-A-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A voluntary self-imposed punishment for a sinful act or wrongdoing. It may be intended to serve as reparation for the act.
  2. 2
    A sacrament in some Christian churches that involves penitence (remorse plus restitution via prayer).
  3. 3
    Any instrument of self-punishment.
  4. 4
    repentance
  5. 5
    pain; sorrow; suffering

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Quoth he, "The man hath penance done, / And penance more will do."

Etymology

From Middle English penaunce, from Anglo-Norman, from Old French peneance, from Latin paenitentia (“repentance, penitence”). Doublet of penitence.

Synonyms

penitenceatonement

This word in other languages

penitencia(Español)pénitence(Français)Buße(Deutsch)penitência(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • epnance
  • peannce
  • penacne
  • penancce
  • penanec
  • penannce
  • penence
  • pennace
  • pennance
  • pneance
  • ppenance

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of penance - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

epnance2peannce2penacne2penancce1penanec2penannce1penence1pennace2
Edit distance from "penance"

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 "penance"?
"penance" is spelled P-E-N-A-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɛn.əns/.
What does "penance" mean?
As a noun, "penance" means: A voluntary self-imposed punishment for a sinful act or wrongdoing. It may be intended to serve as reparation for the act.
What words are commonly confused with "penance"?
"penance" is commonly confused with "pence", "Penang", "Penzance". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "penance"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "penance" is /ˈpɛn.əns/. 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 "penance"?
From Middle English penaunce, from Anglo-Norman, from Old French peneance, from Latin paenitentia (“repentance, penitence”). Doublet of penitence. 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 "penance", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Peugeot#24,542pinning#24,544nomadic#24,533Monique#24,526

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

peroxide11 variantspuzzling11 variantsredneck11 variantsmasking11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list