Basic Details
Word: Sunset
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: The time in the evening when the sun goes down below the horizon, and the colours seen in the sky then.
Synonyms: sundown, dusk
Antonyms: sunrise, dawn
How to Spell Sunset
Syllables: sun - set
Tricky part: It is a closed compound, written as one word with no hyphen. Students sometimes double the n (sunnset) or write sun set.
Watch out for: sunnset, sunsett, sunsat
Memory tip: The sun sets: put the two words together with nothing in between. Sun + set: six letters, with a single n and a single t.
Idioms and Phrases
- ride off into the sunset: leave happily at the end of a story or career Example: "After forty years of teaching, Mr Pillai rode off into the sunset to grow mangoes."
Usage Examples
Example 1: We sat on the rocks at Kanyakumari and watched the sunset over the sea.
Example 2: The fishermen must return to the shore before sunset.
Example 3: In Ramadan, the fast is broken at sunset.
Fun Fact
Sunsets often look red and orange because, when the sun is low, its light passes through much more air, and the air scatters away most of the blue.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Makeup
Choose the correctly spelt compound word:
a) skyscaper
b) moonlite
c) daybrake
d) sunset
Show answer
d) sunset. Daybreak, moonlight and skyscraper are spelt wrongly here; sunset is simply sun + set.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word 'sunset' as used in the sentence:
Tired after the long trek, we rested on the hilltop and waited for the sunset behind the tea gardens.
a) twilight
b) sunrise
c) evening
d) dusk
Show answer
b) sunrise. Dusk, twilight and evening all come at the end of the day; sunrise comes at the start.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence and choose the word they make:
The sky above the lake turned orange and pink at tnusse.
a) sunset
b) unsent
c) sunspot
d) onset
Show answer
a) sunset. Unsent needs a second n, onset has an o, and sunspot has a p and an o.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. To watch the sunset, you should face ____.
a) north
b) east
c) west
d) south
Show answer
c) west
2. A sunset clause in a law means the law ____.
a) only applies to events held after dark
b) ends on a fixed date unless renewed
c) covers only power made from sunlight
d) starts on the first holiday of the year
Show answer
b) ends on a fixed date unless renewed
