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PlainSpell

sunshine

sun·shine/ˈsʌnʃaɪn/noun, adjective

sunshine is spelled S-U-N-S-H-I-N-E: 8 letters and 2 syllables (sun·shine). It appears 14 times per million words in written English, the 5,496th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, sunshine means “The direct rays, light or warmth of the sun” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of sunshine is sunshines.

How many letters and syllables are in sunshine?

Letters8: S-U-N-S-H-I-N-E
Syllables2: sun·shine
In writing14 times per million words; the 5,496th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone 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 sunshine?

Sunshine appears 14 times per million words in written English, the 5,496th 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 sunshine?

  • /ˈsʌnʃaɪn/

Sunshine has 2 syllables, split sun·shine in writing.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-sunshine.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of sunshine

  • sunshines plural

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does sunshine mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    The direct rays, light or warmth of the sun.

    We were warmed by the bright sunshine.

  2. 2

    A location on which the sun's rays fall.

    We moved out of the shade and into the sunshine.

  3. 3

    Geniality or cheerfulness.

    I enjoyed the sunshine of her smile.

  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

    IrelandUKA friendly form of address often reserved for juniors.

    Alright, sunshine, safe to cross now.

  7. 7

    IrelandUKAn ironic form of address directed toward someone perceived as inferior or troublesome.

    OK, sunshine, listen up and listen good. There's five vandalised telephone boxes out there and I know you're responsible.

  8. 8

    Used to address someone who has just woken up or is very sleepy.

    Good morning, sunshine!

adjective

  1. 1

    USOpen to and permitting public access, especially with regard to activities that were previously closed-door or back-room meetings.

    Because of the sunshine law, we could go to the planning meeting.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Sunshine in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchsoleil, lumière du soleil (direct rays of the sun)
GermanSonnenschein (direct rays of the sun)
Portugueseluz do sol, luz solar (direct rays of the sun), sol (location on which the sun's rays fall), alegria (cheerfulness)
Spanishsol, insolación (direct rays of the sun), alegría (cheerfulness)

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 sunshine come from?

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”).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after sunshine