sundial
/ˈsʌnˌdaɪ.əl/noun
sundial is spelled S-U-N-D-I-A-L: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 55,433rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, sundial means “A device measuring the time of day by the position of a shadow cast by a pole or plate (gnomon) upon an engraved series of marks” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of sundial is sundials.
How many letters and syllables are in sundial?
| Letters | 7: S-U-N-D-I-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 55,433rd 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 sundial?
Sundial appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 55,433rd 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 sundial?
- /ˈsʌnˌdaɪ.əl/
Sundial has 2 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)-Vealhurl-sundial.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of sundial
- sundials plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does sundial mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A device measuring the time of day by the position of a shadow cast by a pole or plate (gnomon) upon an engraved series of marks.
The birdbath includes a small gnomon that acts as a sundial with markings on the basin if it's aligned correctly with the sun.
- 2
A sea snail of the genus Heliacus.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Sundial in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense device noting the time of day by the position of a shadow:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | cadran solaire |
| German | Sonnenuhr |
| Portuguese | relógio de sol, relógio do sol, relógio solar, solário |
| Spanish | reloj solar, reloj de sol |
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 sundial come from?
From sun + dial, a clarification of dial after it was used for other objects as well.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).