# penis

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈpiː.nɪs/ · frequency rank #6,605

## Definitions
1. The male erectile reproductive organ used for sexual intercourse that in the human male and other placental mammals is also used for urination; the tubular portion of the external male genitalia (excluding the scrotum).
2. A similar erectile sexual organ present in the cloacas of male amniotes.

## Etymology
From late 17th century. Learned borrowing from Latin pēnis (“tail, penis”), from Proto-Indo-European *pes- (“penis”). Displaced native English pintle, tarse, pillicock.

## Easily confused with
- **pes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penis-vs-pes)
- **pets** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penis-vs-pets)
- **Penn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penis-vs-penn)
- **pins** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penis-vs-pins)
- **pens** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penis-vs-pens)
- **puns** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penis-vs-puns)
- **peri** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penis-vs-peri)
- **pers** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penis-vs-pers)
- **pews** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penis-vs-pews)
- **pons** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penis-vs-pons)
- **penny** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penis-vs-penny)
- **pines** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penis-vs-pines)
- **peril** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penis-vs-peril)
- **petit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penis-vs-petit)
- **punks** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penis-vs-punks)
- **pings** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penis-vs-pings)
- **Peres** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penis-vs-peres)
- **pinus** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penis-vs-pinus)
- **punts** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penis-vs-punts)
- **punish** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penis-vs-punish)

## Common misspellings (7)
`epnis`, `peins`, `peniss`, `pennis`, `pensi`, `pneis`, `ppenis`

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