penny

Compared meaning: a coin or unit of very small value (noun).

比较义项：面值很小的硬币或货币单位（名词）。

• penny 本词

  Penny names the physical coin itself (in the US, the coin worth one cent), so it fits contexts about finding, holding, or lacking an actual coin, and appears in fixed phrases like "not a penny."

  penny 指实际的硬币本身（在美国即面值一美分的硬币），因此常用于谈论捡到、拿着或缺少一枚实际硬币的语境，并出现在诸如“not a penny”（一分钱也没有）这样的固定说法中。

  He found an old penny lying on the sidewalk.

  他在人行道上捡到了一枚旧便士。

• cent

  Cent names the unit of value, one hundredth of a dollar, so it is used mainly to state a price or amount rather than to describe a single countable coin.

  cent 指货币的价值单位，即一美元的百分之一，因此主要用于说明价格或金额的大小，而不是描述一枚可数的硬币。

  The candy costs only one cent at the old store.

  那家老商店的糖果只要一美分。

Both words describe very small amounts of money, easy to confuse. Penny names the coin, used for finding or having a coin, like 'not a penny.' Cent names the unit of value, one hundredth of a dollar, used to state a price, not a coin.

这两个词在“数额很小的钱”这个意义上很接近，容易混淆：penny 指具体的硬币本身，可以被捡到、拥有或用完；cent 指货币单位，即一美元的百分之一，通常用来说明价格或金额，而不是指某一枚具体的硬币。