Sundae vs. Sunday

“Sundae” vs. “Sunday”

The main reason why some people tend to confuse “Sundae” and “Sunday” is their similar spellings. To make things even more confusing, both words are nouns as well as common, everyday words in English. Despite sounding extremely similar, they are not connected or similar in any way in their definitions.

It all becomes clear and simple to remember once you understand the meaning of each word, as well as how they are constructed. More specifically, at least in the case of “Sunday”, the best clue to remember its meaning is the word itself, and how it’s made up. As for “sundae”, it is just another regular English word. An important difference to note between the two words is that you don’t have to write “sundae” with a capital letter, whereas “Sunday” always appears written with a capital letter as it is a proper noun.

When do we use “Sundae”?

A common English noun, “sundae” is the name of a sweet dessert. Usually, it is made out of ice cream, and mixed with fruit and nuts. Hence, you don’t have to write the word with a capital letter unless it’s the first word in a sentence.

And, as a quick trick to remember what “sundae” means, perhaps you’ve come across a “McSundae!” A McSundae is one of the most popular desserts on the menu of the fast-food giant, McDonald’s. That should be enough to remind you that “sundae” is that sweet dish comprising mostly of ice-cream.

Example: For dessert, I’d like to order a chocolate sundae. – “sundae” is the name of a dessert made with ice-cream, fruits and nuts.

When do we use “Sunday”?

Now the word “Sunday” is pretty self-explanatory when you check out the two words that compound it. More exactly, at a closer look, you’ll easily observe that “Sunday” is actually a compound from the words “Sun-“ + “-day”, which is an excellent clue to remind you that “Sunday” is actually the name of a day of the week.

This also explains why Sunday must always be written with a capital letter, just like any name of a day or month written in English, as it is a proper noun. A quick mention is needed here to state that “Sunday” is the name of that day of the week that follows after Saturday and that comes before Monday.

Example: We’re throwing a party this Sunday, we’d love it if you could join us! – “Sunday” is the name of that day of the week that comes after Saturday and before Monday.

Conclusion

Although spelled similarly, “sundae” has a completely different meaning than that of “Sunday”. But remembering their meanings is not so difficult if you use the clues and tricks we provided above.

Keep in mind that “sundae” is just the same dessert as the popular “McSundae”, whereas the other is the name of a day of the week, clearly indicated by the presence of the word “day” in “Sunday”. Don’t forget to share this article with someone who feels confused by this pair of words, to help them as well!