# pencil

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈpɛnsəl/ · frequency rank #7,720

## Definitions
1. A paintbrush.
2. A writing utensil with a graphite (commonly referred to as lead) shaft, usually blended with clay, clad in wood, and sharpened to a taper.
3. An aggregate or collection of rays of light, especially when diverging from, or converging to, a point.
4. A family of geometric objects with a common property, such as the set of lines that pass through a given point in a projective plane.
5. A small medicated bougie.
6. Ellipsis of power of the pencil.

## Etymology
From Anglo-Norman and Old French pincil (see the variant pincel, which gave rise to Modern French pinceau (“paintbrush”)), from Latin pēnicillum, diminutive of pēniculus (“brush”), itself a diminutive of pēnis (“tail; penis”). Not related to pen.

## Easily confused with
- **penis** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pencil-vs-penis)
- **peril** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pencil-vs-peril)
- **penile** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pencil-vs-penile)
- **pencils** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pencil-vs-pencils)
- **pence** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pence-vs-pencil)
- **penal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penal-vs-pencil)

## Common misspellings (9)
`epncil`, `pecnil`, `penccil`, `pencill`, `pencli`, `penicl`, `penncil`, `pnecil`, `ppencil`

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