twilight

/ˈtwaɪˌlaɪt/

//ˈtwaɪˌlaɪt// noun

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

The verdict

“twilight” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #9,415 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#9,415
frequency rank, English
8
letters
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The soft light in the sky seen before the rising and (especially) after the setting of the sun, occasioned by the illumination of the earth’s atmosphere by the direct rays of the sun and their refl...

Key facts for twilight
PropertyValue
Headwordtwilight
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtwaɪˌlaɪt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#9,415
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “twilight” 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). twilight lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for twilight is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈtwaɪˌlaɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #9,415 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for twilight, with forms such as "tiwlight", "ttwilight", and "twiilght". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *dwóh₁ From Middle English twilight, twyelyghte, equivalent to twi- (“double, half-”) + light, literally ‘second light, half-light’. Cognate to Scots twa licht, twylicht, twielicht (“twilight”), Low German twilecht, twelecht (“twilight”), Dutch tw… The correct English form is twilight, spelled T-W-I-L-I-G-H-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The soft light in the sky seen before the rising and (especially) after the setting of the sun, occasioned by the illumination of the earth’s atmosphere by the direct rays of the sun and their reflection on the earth.
  2. 2
    The time when said light is visible; the period between daylight and darkness.
  3. 3
    Any faint light through which something is seen.
  4. 4
    The time when the sun is less than 18° below the horizon.
  5. 5
    An in-between or fading condition through which something is perceived.

Etymology

PIE word *dwóh₁ From Middle English twilight, twyelyghte, equivalent to twi- (“double, half-”) + light, literally ‘second light, half-light’. Cognate to Scots twa licht, twylicht, twielicht (“twilight”), Low German twilecht, twelecht (“twilight”), Dutch tweelicht (“twilight, dusk”), German Zwielicht (“twilight, dusk”). Compare Old English twēone lēoht (“twilight”).

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: tiwlight,ttwilight,twiilght,twilgiht,twiligght,twilighht,twilightt,twiligth,twilihgt,twillight,twliight,twwilight,wtilight

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of twilight - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

tiwlight2ttwilight1twiilght2twilgiht2twiligght1twilighht1twilightt1twiligth2
Edit distance from "twilight"

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 "twilight"?
"twilight" is spelled T-W-I-L-I-G-H-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtwaɪˌlaɪt/.
What does "twilight" mean?
As a noun, "twilight" means: The soft light in the sky seen before the rising and (especially) after the setting of the sun, occasioned by the illumination of the earth’s atmosphere by the direct rays of the sun and their refl...
What are common misspellings of "twilight"?
Common misspellings include "tiwlight", "ttwilight", "twiilght", "twilgiht", "twiligght". The correct spelling is "twilight".
How do you pronounce "twilight"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "twilight" is /ˈtwaɪˌlaɪt/. 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 "twilight"?
PIE word *dwóh₁ From Middle English twilight, twyelyghte, equivalent to twi- (“double, half-”) + light, literally ‘second light, half-light’. Cognate to Scots twa licht, twylicht, twielicht (“twilight”), Low German twilecht, twelecht (“twilight”)... 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 “twilight”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is T-W-I-L-I-G-H-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈtwaɪˌlaɪt/ (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
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