daylight

/ˈdeɪlaɪt/

//ˈdeɪlaɪt// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"daylight" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“daylight” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #9,030 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#9,030
frequency rank, English
8
letters
13
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The natural light that is ambient in daytime, being mostly sunlight (both direct and indirect, on either sunny days or cloudy days).

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

daylight vs delight
75% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for daylight
PropertyValue
Headworddaylight
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈdeɪlaɪt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#9,030
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “daylight” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). daylight lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for daylight is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈdeɪlaɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #9,030 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 11 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for daylight, with forms such as "adylight", "dalyight", and "dayilght". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "delight", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English daye-lighte, dey liȝht, dailiȝt, day-liht, dai-liht (also as days lyȝt, daies liht), equivalent to day + light. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Deegeslucht, Daisljoacht (“daylight”), West Frisian deiljocht (“daylight”), Dutch daglicht (“d… The correct English form is daylight, spelled D-A-Y-L-I-G-H-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The natural light that is ambient in daytime, being mostly sunlight (both direct and indirect, on either sunny days or cloudy days).
  2. 2
    A light source that simulates daylight.
  3. 3
    The intensity distribution of light over the visible spectrum generated by the Sun under various conditions or by other light sources intended to simulate natural daylight.
  4. 4
    The period of time between sunrise and sunset.
  5. 5
    Daybreak.
  6. 6
    Exposure to public scrutiny.
  7. 7
    A clear, open space.
  8. 8
    The space between platens on a press or similar machinery.
  9. 9
    Emotional or psychological distance between people, or disagreement.
  10. 10
    Meaningful or noticeable difference or distinction between two things, especially concepts.
  11. 11
    The gap between the top of a drinking-glass and the level of drink it is filled with.

Etymology

From Middle English daye-lighte, dey liȝht, dailiȝt, day-liht, dai-liht (also as days lyȝt, daies liht), equivalent to day + light. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Deegeslucht, Daisljoacht (“daylight”), West Frisian deiljocht (“daylight”), Dutch daglicht (“daylight”), German Tageslicht (“daylight”).

Antonyms

nightdarkness

This word in other languages

día(Español)jour(Français)Tageslicht(Deutsch)dia(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: adylight,dalyight,dayilght,daylgiht,dayligght,daylighht,daylightt,dayligth,daylihgt,dayllight,dayylight,ddaylight,dyalight

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of daylight - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

adylight2dalyight2dayilght2daylgiht2dayligght1daylighht1daylightt1dayligth2
Edit distance from "daylight"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "daylight"?
"daylight" is spelled D-A-Y-L-I-G-H-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdeɪlaɪt/.
What does "daylight" mean?
As a noun, "daylight" means: The natural light that is ambient in daytime, being mostly sunlight (both direct and indirect, on either sunny days or cloudy days).
What words are commonly confused with "daylight"?
"daylight" is commonly confused with "delight". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "daylight"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "daylight" is /ˈdeɪlaɪt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "daylight"?
From Middle English daye-lighte, dey liȝht, dailiȝt, day-liht, dai-liht (also as days lyȝt, daies liht), equivalent to day + light. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Deegeslucht, Daisljoacht (“daylight”), West Frisian deiljocht (“daylight”), Dutch da... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “daylight”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is D-A-Y-L-I-G-H-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈdeɪlaɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “delight” - see the side-by-side comparison. daylight vs delight
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list