# punishing

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈpʌnɪʃɪŋ/ · frequency rank #15,038

## Definitions
1. That punishes physically and/or mentally; arduous, gruelling, demanding.
2. Debilitating, harsh.

## Easily confused with
- **pushing** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/punishing-vs-pushing)
- **punching** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/punching-vs-punishing)
- **phishing** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/phishing-vs-punishing)
- **publishing** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/publishing-vs-punishing)

## Common misspellings (14)
`pnuishing`, `ppunishing`, `puinshing`, `punihsing`, `punishhing`, `punishign`, `punishingg`, `punishinng`, `punishnig`, `punisihng`, `punisshing`, `punnishing`, `punsihing`, `upnishing`

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