Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

penitential

/ˌpɛnɪˈtɛnʃəl/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.13 in modern English

Syllables: pen-i-ten-tial
IPA: /ˌpɛnɪˈtɛnʃəl/

13

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

4

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Pertaining to penance or penitence.

noun

A book or set of rules pertaining to the Christian sacrament of penance.

Example Sentences

"Guilt that all the penitential fires of hereafter can not cleanse."

Etymology

From Medieval Latin paenitentiālis, from Latin paenitentia (“repentance”). Attested since the 16th century.

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: *peh₁-, paenitentiālis, paenitentia

Inflected Forms

more penitential (comparative) most penitential (superlative) pœnitential (alternative) penitentials (plural)

Derived Forms

nonpenitential penitentiality penitentially

Frequently Paired Words

impenitent penitent penitentiary repent repentant unrepentant

Synonyms

penitentiary

Rhymes With

influential confidential existential precedential affluential

Questions

How do you pronounce penitential?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌpɛnɪˈtɛnʃəl/.
What does penitential mean?: Pertaining to penance or penitence.
Where does penitential come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce penitential

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “penitential”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌpɛnɪˈtɛnʃəl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “penitential”.
Repeat and practice — Say “penitential” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.