These words denote sensations of discomfort or suffering. Pain is the most general tern, and can be used in place of any of the others in this group. Pain can be of long or short duration, in a local or a general site, and of mild or strong intensity: anxious about an off-and-on pain in the abdomen. An ache is an often long-lasting pain , usually dull rather than sharp, associated with a particular organ or body part: a stomach ache ; a toothache . A pang is a sudden, sharp but transient pain that is likely to recur: the pangs of hunger. A twinge is very much like a pang , but milder in intensity and often one that causes a muscle to contract: a twinge of rheumatism. A throe (usually found in its plural form) is a violent, often convulsive pain, such as that associated with a mortal wound, the effects of many poisons, or a violent physical process: the throes of childbirth. A sudden, sharp, piercing pain , often followed by a cramp, is called a stitch : a stitch in her side that made her wince.

All these words except stitch have figurative application to mental or spiritual suffering: the pain of separation; the ache of loneliness; a pang of remorse; the throes of indecision; a twinge of regret.