sunshine

/ˈsʌnʃaɪn/

//ˈsʌnʃaɪn// noun

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

"sunshine" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sunshine” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,556. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,556
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The direct rays, light or warmth of the sun.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sunshine · sunshine · English

sunshine · rank #5,556 · 12 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,556
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH strictly

Nearest frequency peer: strictly (-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 “sunshine”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sunshine” 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
Key facts for sunshine
PropertyValue
Headwordsunshine
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsʌnʃaɪn/
Letters8
Frequency rank#5,556
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sunshine”

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).sunshinelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “strictly” (#5,555), “teens” (#5,557), “sporting” (#5,554). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sunshine” is #5,556. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around sunshine (IPA /ˈsʌnʃaɪn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #5,556 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for sunshine, with forms such as "snushine", "ssunshine", and "sunhsine". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: In the Coverdale Bible in 1535, in Genesis and Exodus about 1250 as Middle English sunnesine; synchronically sun + shine. Compare isolated Old English sunsċīn (“mirror”). The correct English form is sunshine, spelled S-U-N-S-H-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The direct rays, light or warmth of the sun.
  2. 2
    A location on which the sun's rays fall.
  3. 3
    Geniality or cheerfulness.
  4. 4
    A source of cheerfulness or joy.
  5. 5
    The effect which the sun has when it lights and warms some place.
  6. 6
    Friendly form of address often reserved for juniors.
  7. 7
    Ironic form of address used to an inferior or troublemaker.
  8. 8
    Used to address someone who has just woken up and/or is very sleepy.
  9. 9
    Ellipsis of orange sunshine.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. We were warmed by the bright sunshine.
  2. Oft tymes a thinge doth floꝛiſh, and men thynke that it maye abyde the Sonneſhyne: it ſhuteth foꝛth the bꝛaunches in his garden, it taketh many rotes, in ſo moch that it is like an houſe off ſtones.

Etymology

In the Coverdale Bible in 1535, in Genesis and Exodus about 1250 as Middle English sunnesine; synchronically sun + shine. Compare isolated Old English sunsċīn (“mirror”).

This word in other languages

sol(Español)soleil(Français)Sonnenschein(Deutsch)sol(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • snushine
  • ssunshine
  • sunhsine
  • sunnshine
  • sunshhine
  • sunshien
  • sunshinne
  • sunshnie
  • sunsihne
  • sunsshine
  • susnhine
  • usnshine

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sunshine - 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.

snushine2ssunshine1sunhsine2sunnshine1sunshhine1sunshien2sunshinne1sunshnie2
Edit distance from "sunshine"

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 "sunshine"?
"sunshine" is spelled S-U-N-S-H-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsʌnʃaɪn/.
What does "sunshine" mean?
As a noun, "sunshine" means: The direct rays, light or warmth of the sun.
What are common misspellings of "sunshine"?
Common misspellings include "snushine", "ssunshine", "sunhsine", "sunnshine", "sunshhine". The correct spelling is "sunshine".
How do you pronounce "sunshine"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sunshine" is /ˈsʌnʃaɪn/. 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 "sunshine"?
In the Coverdale Bible in 1535, in Genesis and Exodus about 1250 as Middle English sunnesine; synchronically sun + shine. Compare isolated Old English sunsċīn (“mirror”). 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 "sunshine", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

strictly#5,555sporting#5,554sometime#5,552paradise#5,529

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

scratch12 variantsadmission12 variantsclassroom12 variantsmarathon12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list