sundown

/ˈsʌnˌdaʊn/

//ˈsʌnˌdaʊn// noun

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

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

The verdict

“sundown” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #30,608. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#30,608
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

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

Corpus desk

Index EN-sundown · sundown · English

sundown · rank #30,608 · 11 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #30,608
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH substandard

Nearest frequency peer: substandard (-2 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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “sundown”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “sundown” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

sundown vs Sandown
71% similar
sundown vs shutdown
75% similar

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

Key facts for sundown
PropertyValue
Headwordsundown
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsʌnˌdaʊn/
Letters7
Frequency rank#30,608
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sundown”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).sundownlands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “substandard” (#30,606), “strat” (#30,604), “spurious” (#30,602). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sundown” is #30,608. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around sundown (IPA /ˈsʌnˌdaʊn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #30,608 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for sundown, with forms such as "snudown", "ssundown", and "sudnown". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "Sandown", "shutdown", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From sun + down. The correct English form is sundown, spelled S-U-N-D-O-W-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Sunset.
  2. 2
    A hat with a wide brim to shade the eyes from sunlight.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. We’ll meet by the pier at sundown.
  2. Yet oft when sundown skirts the moor ⁠An inner trouble I behold, ⁠A spectral doubt which makes me cold, That I shall be thy mate no more, […]

Etymology

From sun + down.

Synonyms

duskmirkningnightfall

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • snudown
  • ssundown
  • sudnown
  • sunddown
  • sundonw
  • sundownn
  • sundowwn
  • sundwon
  • sunndown
  • sunodwn
  • usndown

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sundown - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

snudown2ssundown1sudnown2sunddown1sundonw2sundownn1sundowwn1sundwon2
Edit distance from "sundown"

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 "sundown"?
"sundown" is spelled S-U-N-D-O-W-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsʌnˌdaʊn/.
What does "sundown" mean?
As a noun, "sundown" means: Sunset.
What words are commonly confused with "sundown"?
"sundown" is commonly confused with "Sandown", "shutdown". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sundown"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sundown" is /ˈsʌnˌdaʊn/. 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 "sundown"?
From sun + down. 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 "sundown", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

tensile#30,618utilise#30,638scrooge#30,577Vasquez#30,641

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

spurious11 variantssmuggler11 variantswineries11 variantsworkman11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list