# penny

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈpɛni/ · frequency rank #6,393

## Definitions
1. In the United Kingdom and Ireland and many other countries, a unit of currency worth ¹⁄₂₄₀ of a pound sterling or Irish pound before decimalisation, or a copper coin worth this amount. Abbreviation: d.
2. In the United Kingdom, a unit of currency worth ¹⁄₁₀₀ of a pound sterling, or a copper coin worth this amount. Abbreviation: p.
3. In Ireland, a coin worth ¹⁄₁₀₀ of an Irish pound before the introduction of the euro. Abbreviation: p.
4. In the US and (formerly) Canada, a one-cent coin, worth ¹⁄₁₀₀ of a dollar. Abbreviation: ¢.
5. In various countries, a small-denomination copper or brass coin.
6. A unit of nail size, said to be either the cost per 100 nails, or the number of nails per penny. Abbreviation: d.
7. Money in general.

## Etymology
From Middle English peny, from Old English peniġ, penniġ, penning (“penny”), from Proto-West Germanic *panning, from Proto-Germanic *panningaz, of uncertain origin (see that page for theories). Doublet of pfennig and fening.

## Easily confused with
- **pony** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penny-vs-pony)
- **pens** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penny-vs-pens)
- **puny** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penny-vs-puny)
- **perry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penny-vs-perry)
- **petty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penny-vs-petty)
- **Percy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penny-vs-percy)
- **pinky** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penny-vs-pinky)
- **phony** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penny-vs-phony)
- **pesky** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penny-vs-pesky)
- **perky** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penny-vs-perky)
- **Pliny** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penny-vs-pliny)
- **Pinoy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penny-vs-pinoy)
- **peony** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penny-vs-peony)
- **Petey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penny-vs-petey)
- **plenty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penny-vs-plenty)
- **pen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pen-vs-penny)
- **Penn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penn-vs-penny)
- **peng** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/peng-vs-penny)
- **pena** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/pena-vs-penny)
- **penis** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/penis-vs-penny)

## Common misspellings (6)
`epnny`, `pennyy`, `peny`, `penyn`, `pneny`, `ppenny`

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