How Do You Spell Days of the Week in English?

How do you spell days of the week? Do you want to confidently organize a gathering, make plans with friends, communicate future ideas and projects, or confirm a job interview? If so, you will need to know the English days of the week.

The day is one of the most significant units into which we divide time, and we frequently refer to it by name. Without them, we cannot promptly locate ourselves or our plans, nor can we efficiently discuss them.

This article will explain how to spell, pronounce, and use the days of the week. It will also show how to interpret them in practice and recognize common, yet confusing idioms associated with time terminology in the English language.

Difference Between Days of the Week and Weekdays

First, it should be noted that “the days of the week” and “weekdays” are not synonymous in English.

The term “the days of the week” refers to all seven days. From Monday to Sunday inclusively.

Monday through Friday are the five working days; hence Saturday and Sunday make up the weekend in most countries. However, in certain nations, such as Israel, the weekday begins on Sunday and ends on Thursday due to religious holidays.

Days of the Week in English

A calendar week consists of seven days: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

While each day has a unique spelling and pronunciation, they all have one characteristic. Each one concludes with the word DAY. Therefore, you only need to memorize the beginning of the word. Yay!

Simple, right? Indeed, it is. It is much easier to remember than, for example, the Spanish days of the week.

Why Is It Important to Know the Days of the Week in English?

We all divide our workweek into smaller time segments to utilize them. The days of the week are filled with activity, and we wish to share that activity with others.

We must utilize and comprehend the days of the week. This is in order to plan for the future, remember the past, execute transactions, interact with others, and maximize our work and leisure time.

How Do You Spell Days of the Week in English?

It can be difficult to pronounce and spell the English weekday names. Due to their origins in different languages, they are not pronounced as they are written.

Spelling and Pronunciation of the Days of the Week in English

• Monday is pronounced as /mʌn.deɪ/ Mun-day. Tuesday is pronounced as /ˈtjuːzdeɪ/ Tuez-day.
• We pronounce Wednesday as /ˈwenzdeɪ/ Wens-day. Thursday is pronounced as /ˈθɜː(r)zdeɪ/ Thurz-day.
• Friday is pronounced as /ˈfraɪdeɪ/ Fry-day. Saturday is pronounced as /ˈsætədeɪ/ Sah-der-day. For Sunday, pronunciation is ˈsʌn.deɪ/ Sun-day. 

Weekday names can be difficult to discern if you don’t know how a native English speaker would say it. Some say the days of the week in a conversational tone like this:

• Tuesday usually becomes Tuez
• Saturday usually becomes Sad – ay
• Sunday usually becomes Sun

Origin of the Days of the Week

Some of the English words for each day come from Roman mythology, but they have been changed over time by Germanic and Norse mythology. 

The Germanic people changed the Roman way of doing things by putting their own gods in place of the Roman gods.

1. Sunday

Sunday comes from the Old English word “Sunnandaeg,” which is based on the Latin word “dies solis,” which means “sun’s day.” In Germanic and Norse mythology, the Sun is called Sunna or Sól, which is the name of a goddess.

2. Monday

Monday also stems from the Old English word “Mōnandæg,” which was named after Máni. Máni was the Norse god of the moon and the brother of Sól.

3. Tuesday

Tuesday comes from the Old English word “Twesdg,” named after Tiw or Tyr, a Norse god of battle who only had one hand. He is seen as the same as Mars, the Roman god of war.

4. Wednesday

Wednesday comes from “Wdnesdg” in Old English.” Wden’s day” is Wednesday. Odin, also known as Wden, was the leader of the Norse gods and was linked to magic, wisdom, victory, and death. The Romans linked Wden to Mercury because both of them helped souls find their way after death. 

5. Thursday

Thursday is called “Thor’s day” in English because Thor, the Norse god of thunder, strength, and protection, carried a hammer. The Roman god Jupiter was also the god of the sky and thunder and the king of gods. “Thursday” comes from “nresdg” in Old English.

6. Friday

Friday was named after Odin’s wife. Some scholars say her name was Frigg, while others say it was Freya. Still, others say that Frigg and Freya were two different goddesses. No matter what her name was, she was often linked to the Roman goddess Venus, who was the goddess of love, beauty, and childbirth. “Friday” comes from “Frgedg” in Old English.

7. Saturday

 Saturday is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word “Sturnesdg,” which means “Saturn’s day.” The Germanic and Norse cultures didn’t have any gods associated with Saturday. Instead, they kept the Roman name. 

To Wrap Up

So, when next you glance at your calendar, you’ll see those simple words at the top with a deeper meaning. It is possible to trace our roots back to some of our first relatives and mythologies that have captivated the world for centuries.