day and daylight share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. day means “time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis”. daylight means “the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside”. day is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈdeɪ/
1.n.time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
“two days later they left”
2.n.some point or period in time
“it should arrive any day now”
3.n.a day assigned to a particular purpose or observance
“Mother's Day”
/ˈdeɪˌlaɪt/
1.n.the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside
“the dawn turned night into day”
2.n.light during the daytime
| day | daylight | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈdeɪ/ | /ˈdeɪˌlaɪt/ |
| Said | day | DAY-lahyt |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Letters | 3 | 8 |
| Parts of speech | noun | noun |
| Senses | 10 | 2 |
| How common | Core | Common |
| Synonyms | twenty-four hours, twenty-four hour period, 24-hour interval | day, daytime |
Full entry for day · Full entry for daylight · More comparisons