punishment

/ˈpʌnɪʃmənt/

//ˈpʌnɪʃmənt// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"punishment" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“punishment” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,040. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,040
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
16
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act (action) or process of punishing, imposing and/or applying a sanction, typically by an authority or a person in authority (for example: a parent or teacher), especially when disappointed or...

Corpus desk

Index EN-punishment · punishment · English

punishment · rank #4,040 · 16 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,040
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH progressive

Nearest frequency peer: progressive (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “punishment”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “punishment” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for punishment
PropertyValue
Headwordpunishment
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpʌnɪʃmənt/
Letters10
Frequency rank#4,040
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “punishment”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).punishmentlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “progressive” (#4,039), “rally” (#4,041), “rapidly” (#4,042). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “punishment” is #4,040. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around punishment (IPA /ˈpʌnɪʃmənt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #4,040 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for punishment, with forms such as "pnuishment", "ppunishment", and "puinshment". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English punishement, from Old French punissement, from punir (“to punish”). Equivalent to punish + -ment. Displaced native Old English wīte. The correct English form is punishment, spelled P-U-N-I-S-H-M-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act (action) or process of punishing, imposing and/or applying a sanction, typically by an authority or a person in authority (for example: a parent or teacher), especially when disappointed or dissatisfied with the behavior or actions of a child, student, or someone else being looked after.
  2. 2
    A penalty to punish wrongdoing, especially for crime.
  3. 3
    A suffering by pain or loss imposed as retribution.
  4. 4
    Any harsh treatment or experience; rough handling.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how punishment appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The naughty children were given a punishment by their teachers.
  2. a light punishment

Etymology

From Middle English punishement, from Old French punissement, from punir (“to punish”). Equivalent to punish + -ment. Displaced native Old English wīte.

Synonyms

castigationchasteningchastisementcorrectiongruelpunishmentpunition

This word in other languages

castigo(Español)punition(Français)Strafe(Deutsch)castigo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • pnuishment
  • ppunishment
  • puinshment
  • punihsment
  • punishemnt
  • punishhment
  • punishmennt
  • punishmentt
  • punishmetn
  • punishmment
  • punishmnet
  • punismhent
  • punisshment
  • punnishment
  • punsihment
  • upnishment

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of punishment - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

pnuishment2ppunishment1puinshment2punihsment2punishemnt2punishhment1punishmennt1punishmentt1
Edit distance from "punishment"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "punishment"?
"punishment" is spelled P-U-N-I-S-H-M-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpʌnɪʃmənt/.
What does "punishment" mean?
As a noun, "punishment" means: The act (action) or process of punishing, imposing and/or applying a sanction, typically by an authority or a person in authority (for example: a parent or teacher), especially when disappointed or...
What are common misspellings of "punishment"?
Common misspellings include "pnuishment", "ppunishment", "puinshment", "punihsment", "punishemnt". The correct spelling is "punishment".
How do you pronounce "punishment"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "punishment" is /ˈpʌnɪʃmənt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "punishment"?
From Middle English punishement, from Old French punissement, from punir (“to punish”). Equivalent to punish + -ment. Displaced native Old English wīte. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "punishment", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

passengers#4,035monitoring#4,033contribute#4,008difficulty#4,078

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

residential16 variantstransferred16 variantslegislative16 variantsannouncement16 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list