sunspot

/ˈsʌnspɒt/

//ˈsʌnspɒt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“sunspot” is uncommon English (frequency #50,255 among 54,294 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#50,255
frequency rank, English
54,294
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A region on the sun's surface with a lower temperature than its surroundings and intense magnetic activity.

Key facts for sunspot
PropertyValue
Headwordsunspot
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsʌnspɒt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#50,255
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sunspot” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). sunspot lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

sunspot is uncommon English at frequency #50,255 among 54,294 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈsʌnspɒt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for sunspot in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From sun + spot. The correct English form is sunspot, spelled S-U-N-S-P-O-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A region on the sun's surface with a lower temperature than its surroundings and intense magnetic activity.
  2. 2
    A random shock in the foreign exchange currency market.

Etymology

From sun + spot.

This word in other languages

tache solaire(Français)Sonnenfleck(Deutsch)

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 "sunspot"?
"sunspot" is spelled S-U-N-S-P-O-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsʌnspɒt/.
What does "sunspot" mean?
As a noun, "sunspot" means: A region on the sun's surface with a lower temperature than its surroundings and intense magnetic activity.
How do you pronounce "sunspot"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sunspot" is /ˈsʌnspɒt/. 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 "sunspot"?
From sun + spot. 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.

Using “sunspot”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-U-N-S-P-O-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈsʌnspɒt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list