pain

\pɛ̃\

/\pɛ̃\/ noun

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

The verdict

“pain” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #1,925 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,925
frequency rank, French
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Pâte cuite au four, à base de farine, d’eau et de levure de boulanger ou de levain.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

pain vs pi
50% similar
pain vs PN
0% similar
pain vs pas
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for pain
PropertyValue
Headwordpain
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\pɛ̃\
Letters4
Frequency rank#1,925
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pain” sits in French frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for pain is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \pɛ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #1,925 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for pain, with forms such as "apin", "painn", and "pani". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "pi", "PN", "pas", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is pain, spelled P-A-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Pâte cuite au four, à base de farine, d’eau et de levure de boulanger ou de levain.
  2. 2
    Morceau de pain considéré en tant qu’unité de cuisson ou de vente, en général sous une forme définie : une baguette de pain, un pain de campagne, un pain azyme, …
  3. 3
    Baguette de 400 grammes (le terme baguette étant dans ce cas réservé à la baguette de 250 grammes).
  4. 4
    Tout objet qui prend la forme d’un pain.
  5. 5
    Nourriture, moyens de subsistance.
  6. 6
    Coup de poing.
  7. 7
    Erreur grossière, fausse note, couac.
  8. 8
    Jour de prison.
  9. 9
    Crush, personne pour qui on a une attirance.

Synonyms

brignolet

This word in other languages

bread(English)pan(Español)Brot(Deutsch)pão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: apin,painn,pani,pian,ppain

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pain - 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.

apin2painn1pani2pian2ppain1
Edit distance from "pain"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "pain"?
"pain" is spelled P-A-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is \pɛ̃\.
What does "pain" mean?
As a noun, "pain" means: Pâte cuite au four, à base de farine, d’eau et de levure de boulanger ou de levain.
What words are commonly confused with "pain"?
"pain" is commonly confused with "pi", "PN", "pas". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pain"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pain" is \pɛ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "pain" come from?
"pain" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

Using “pain”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is P-A-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \pɛ̃\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “pi” - see the side-by-side comparison. pain vs pi
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list