sunlight
sun·light/ˈsʌnˌlaɪt/noun, verb
sunlight is spelled S-U-N-L-I-G-H-T: 8 letters and 2 syllables (sun·light). It appears 7.2 times per million words in written English, the 8,784th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, sunlight means “All the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun; especially, that in the visible spectrum and that bathes the Earth” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of sunlight is sunlights.
How many letters and syllables are in sunlight?
| Letters | 8: S-U-N-L-I-G-H-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: sun·light |
| In writing | 7.2 times per million words; the 8,784th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is sunlight?
Sunlight appears 7.2 times per million words in written English, the 8,784th 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 sunlight?
- /ˈsʌnˌlaɪt/
Sunlight has 2 syllables, split sun·light in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-sunlight.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of sunlight
- sunlights plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- sunlighting participle, present
- sunlighted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does sunlight mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
All the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun; especially, that in the visible spectrum and that bathes the Earth.
Meronym: sunbeams
- 2
Brightness, hope; a positive outlook.
- 3
Synonym of sunrise.
- 4
Synonym of photic (“describing that part of the near-surface ocean in which photosynthesis is possible.”).
sunlight zone
verb
- 1
To work on the side (at a secondary job) during the daytime.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Sunlight in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | lumière du soleil |
| German | Sonnenlicht , Licht |
| Portuguese | luz do sol |
| Spanish | luz del sol, luz solar |
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 sunlight come from?
From Middle English sonnelight, sunneliht, from Old English sunnan lēoht (“sunlight”), equivalent to sun + light. Cognate with Dutch zonlicht (“sunlight”), German Low German Sünnenlücht (“sunlight”), German Sonnenlicht (“sunlight”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).