What Is The Difference Between Ultimate And Penultimate?

What Is The Difference Between Ultimate And Penultimate? People confuse penultimate and ultimate believing the prefix “pen-” simply adds more emphasis to the word “ultimate.” This is not the case, the “pen-‘ prefix means “almost” and thus “penultimate” means “next to last.” “Ultimate” is a much more flexible word that can be “last,” “fundamental,” “utmost,”