sunburnt

/ˈsʌn.bɝnt/

//ˈsʌn.bɝnt// adj

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

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

The verdict

“sunburnt” is uncommon English (frequency #62,543 among 54,294 “S” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#62,543
frequency rank, English
54,294
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Having a sunburn or dark tan; having been burned by the sun's rays.

Key facts for sunburnt
PropertyValue
Headwordsunburnt
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈsʌn.bɝnt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#62,543
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sunburnt” 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). sunburnt lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

sunburnt is uncommon English at frequency #62,543 among 54,294 “S” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈsʌn.bɝnt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

sunburnt doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English sunne brente, equivalent to sun + burnt. The correct English form is sunburnt, spelled S-U-N-B-U-R-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having a sunburn or dark tan; having been burned by the sun's rays.
  2. 2
    Dried out by the sun's rays.
  3. 3
    Subject to the strong heat and/or light of the sun.
  4. 4
    Resembling a sunburn in color.

Etymology

From Middle English sunne brente, equivalent to sun + burnt.

This word in other languages

sonnenverbrannt(Deutsch)

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 "sunburnt"?
"sunburnt" is spelled S-U-N-B-U-R-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsʌn.bɝnt/.
What does "sunburnt" mean?
As an adjective, "sunburnt" means: Having a sunburn or dark tan; having been burned by the sun's rays.
How do you pronounce "sunburnt"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sunburnt" is /ˈsʌn.bɝnt/. 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 "sunburnt"?
From Middle English sunne brente, equivalent to sun + burnt. 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 “sunburnt”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-U-N-B-U-R-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈsʌn.bɝnt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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