Humanities › English Pain and Pane Commonly Confused Words Share Flipboard Email Print English English Grammar An Introduction to Punctuation Writing By Richard Nordquist Richard Nordquist English and Rhetoric Professor Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester B.A., English, State University of New York Dr. Richard Nordquist is professor emeritus of rhetoric and English at Georgia Southern University and the author of several university-level grammar and composition textbooks. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on February 19, 2020 The words pain and pane are homophones: they sound alike but have different meanings, like the homophone pair flair and flare.The noun pain refers to physical suffering or the feeling of discomfort or distress. As a verb, pain means to cause hurt or distress. The noun pane means a single piece, panel, or sheet (as of glass). Examples: Some people have so much trouble coping with the pain of divorce that they turn to drugs or alcohol.George could be extremely annoying at times--a real pain in the neck.The inspector stared at the pile of broken glass lying on the floor beneath the broken pane. Practice: (a) Tania sat with her nose pressed against the dirty window _____.(b) After pitching flawlessly for five innings, Robin felt a sharp _____ in her shoulder. Answers to Practice Exercises Glossary of Usage: Index of Commonly Confused Words 200 Homonyms, Homophones, and Homographs Answers to Practice Exercises: Pain and Pane (a) Tania sat with her nose pressed against the dirty window pane.(b) After pitching flawlessly for five innings, Robin felt a sharp pain in her shoulder. Glossary of Usage: Index of Commonly Confused Words200 Homonyms, Homophones, and Homographs Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Nordquist, Richard. "Pain and Pane." ThoughtCo, Feb. 16, 2021, thoughtco.com/pain-and-pane-1689454. Nordquist, Richard. (2021, February 16). Pain and Pane. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/pain-and-pane-1689454 Nordquist, Richard. "Pain and Pane." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/pain-and-pane-1689454 (accessed March 29, 2023). copy citation