afterglow
noun
afterglow is spelled A-F-T-E-R-G-L-O-W: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,767th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, afterglow means “The glow seen in the sky after sunset” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of afterglow is afterglows.
How many letters and syllables are in afterglow?
| Letters | 9: A-F-T-E-R-G-L-O-W |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 44,767th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is afterglow?
Afterglow appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 44,767th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce afterglow?
- US
Afterglow has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vininn126-afterglow.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with afterglow
Also written: after-glow (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of afterglow
- afterglows plural
- after-glow
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does afterglow mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The glow seen in the sky after sunset.
- 2
The light emitted by an incandescent object while cooling.
- 3
The light emitted by a phosphor after excitation.
- 4
The mildly euphoric feeling experienced after a pleasurable experience, especially after an orgasm or drug-induced high.
- 5
An afterparty.
There's an afterglow with singing after the evening worship.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Afterglow in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Spanish | arrebol, resplandor crepuscular , sensación de bienestar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does afterglow come from?
From after- + glow.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).