penance
pen·ance/ˈpɛn.əns/noun, verb
penance is spelled P-E-N-A-N-C-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables (pen·ance). It appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 24,463rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). 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” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of penance is penances.
How many letters and syllables are in penance?
| Letters | 7: P-E-N-A-N-C-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: pen·ance |
| In writing | 1.3 times per million words; the 24,463rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is penance?
Penance appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 24,463rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce penance?
- /ˈpɛn.əns/
Penance has 2 syllables, split pen·ance in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-penance.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of penance
- penances plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- penancing participle, present
- penanced participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does penance mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A voluntary self-imposed punishment for a sinful act or wrongdoing. It may be intended to serve as reparation for the act.
- 2
A sacrament in some Christian churches that involves penitence (remorse plus restitution via prayer).
- 3
Any instrument of self-punishment.
- 4
obsoleterepentance
- 5
obsoletepain; sorrow; suffering
verb
- 1
To impose penance; to punish.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Penance in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense voluntary self-imposed punishment:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | pénitence |
| German | Buße, Bußleistung, Bußübung, Bußwerk, Bußverfahren, Sühnung |
| Portuguese | penitência |
| Spanish | penitencia |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does penance come from?
From Middle English penaunce, from Anglo-Norman, from Old French peneance, from Latin paenitentia (“repentance, penitence”). Doublet of penitence.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).