sundial

/ˈsʌnˌdaɪ.əl/

//ˈsʌnˌdaɪ.əl// noun

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

"sundial" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sundial” is uncommon English (frequency #55,781 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#55,781
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - 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.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sundial · sundial · English

sundial · rank #55,781 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #55,781
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Sulaiman

Nearest frequency peer: Sulaiman (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “sundial”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “sundial” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for sundial
PropertyValue
Headwordsundial
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsʌnˌdaɪ.əl/
Letters7
Frequency rank#55,781
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “sundial” in English

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Sulaiman” (#55,780), “supranational” (#55,783), “streaky” (#55,778). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sundial” is #55,781. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

sundial is uncommon English at frequency #55,781 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈsʌnˌdaɪ.əl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for sundial, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From sun + dial, a clarification of dial after it was used for other objects as well. The correct English form is sundial, spelled S-U-N-D-I-A-L.

Definition

  1. 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.
  2. 2
    A sea snail of the genus Heliacus.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how sundial appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. 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. Elbows almost touching they leaned at ease, idly reading the almost obliterated lines engraved there. "I never understood it," she observed, lightly scornful. "What occult meaning has a sun-dial for the spooney? I'm sure I don't want to read riddles in a strange gentleman's optics."

Etymology

From sun + dial, a clarification of dial after it was used for other objects as well.

Synonyms

dialhorologehorologium

This word in other languages

cadran solaire(Français)Sonnenuhr(Deutsch)relógio de sol(Português)

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 "sundial"?
"sundial" is spelled S-U-N-D-I-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsʌnˌdaɪ.əl/.
What does "sundial" mean?
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.
How do you pronounce "sundial"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sundial" is /ˈsʌnˌdaɪ.əl/. 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 "sundial"?
From sun + dial, a clarification of dial after it was used for other objects as well. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "sundial", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

streaky#55,778stocker#55,776springy#55,764splayed#55,760

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list