sundowner
"sundowner" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“sundowner” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An itinerant worker, such as a swagman, who arrives at a farm too late in the day to do any work, but readily accepts food and lodging.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | sundowner |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “sundowner” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
sundowner is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 9 senses are on record.
Zero misspellings are on record for sundowner in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From sundown + -er. The correct English form is sundowner, spelled S-U-N-D-O-W-N-E-R.
Definition
- 1An itinerant worker, such as a swagman, who arrives at a farm too late in the day to do any work, but readily accepts food and lodging.
- 2An itinerant worker, a swagman.
- 3A sea captain who shows harsh discipline by requiring all hands to be on board by sundown.
- 4A patient, usually demented, who tends to become agitated in the evening.
- 5A cocktail consumed at sunset, or to signify the end of the day.
- 6A cocktail party held in the early evening.
- 7A physician employed by the government who practises for private fees after his official hours.
- 8Any worker who practises for private fees after official hours.
- 9A northerly offshore wind which occurs in California along the southern Pacific slope of Santa Ynez Mountains when a region of high pressure is north of the area (the coast of which trends east to west), often preceding or following a Santa Ana and typically occurring at night and ceasing during the day (hence the name).
Etymology
From sundown + -er.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “sundowner”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-U-N-D-O-W-N-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- 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.