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” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #24,540 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#24,540
frequency rank, English
7
letters
11
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A voluntary self-imposed punishment for a sinful act or wrongdoing. It may be intended to serve as reparation for the act.

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)

Where “penance” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for penance is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpɛn.əns/. Corpus data places it at rank #24,540 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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

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.

Using “penance”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is P-E-N-A-N-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈpɛn.əns/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “pence” - see the side-by-side comparison. penance vs pence
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list