sunrise

/ˈsʌnɹaɪz/

//ˈsʌnɹaɪz// noun

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

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

The verdict

“sunrise” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,402. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,402
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The time of day when the sun appears above the eastern horizon.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sunrise · sunrise · English

sunrise · rank #9,402 · 10 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,402
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH structured

Nearest frequency peer: structured (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “sunrise”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sunrise” 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).

sunrise vs surmise
71% similar
sunrise vs surprise
75% similar
sunrise vs sucrose
71% similar

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

Key facts for sunrise
PropertyValue
Headwordsunrise
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsʌnɹaɪz/
Letters7
Frequency rank#9,402
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sunrise”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).sunriselands 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 “structured” (#9,401), “surge” (#9,403), “strengthening” (#9,400). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sunrise” is #9,402. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around sunrise (IPA /ˈsʌnɹaɪz/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #9,402 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for sunrise, with forms such as "snurise", "ssunrise", and "sunirse". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "surmise", "surprise", "sucrose", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English sonne-rys, sunne ryse, equivalent to sun + rise. Compare Middle English son risyng, sunne rijsyng, sonne-rysing (“sunrise”, literally “sun rising”). The correct English form is sunrise, spelled S-U-N-R-I-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The time of day when the sun appears above the eastern horizon.
  2. 2
    The change in color of the sky at dawn.
  3. 3
    Any great awakening.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I'll meet you at the docks at sunrise.
  2. Did you see the beautiful sunrise this morning?

Etymology

From Middle English sonne-rys, sunne ryse, equivalent to sun + rise. Compare Middle English son risyng, sunne rijsyng, sonne-rysing (“sunrise”, literally “sun rising”).

This word in other languages

orto(Español)potron-minet(Français)Sonnenaufgang(Deutsch)aurora(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • snurise
  • ssunrise
  • sunirse
  • sunnrise
  • sunries
  • sunrisse
  • sunrrise
  • sunrsie
  • surnise
  • usnrise

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sunrise - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

snurise2ssunrise1sunirse2sunnrise1sunries2sunrisse1sunrrise1sunrsie2
Edit distance from "sunrise"

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 "sunrise"?
"sunrise" is spelled S-U-N-R-I-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsʌnɹaɪz/.
What does "sunrise" mean?
As a noun, "sunrise" means: The time of day when the sun appears above the eastern horizon.
What words are commonly confused with "sunrise"?
"sunrise" is commonly confused with "surmise", "surprise", "sucrose". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sunrise"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sunrise" is /ˈsʌnɹaɪz/. 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 "sunrise"?
From Middle English sonne-rys, sunne ryse, equivalent to sun + rise. Compare Middle English son risyng, sunne rijsyng, sonne-rysing (“sunrise”, literally “sun rising”). 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 "sunrise", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Timothy#9,409tornado#9,411premise#9,384Messing#9,363

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

rainfall10 variantsmetallic10 variantsbricks10 variantshormone10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list