summer and sumner differ by a single letter, buried far enough into the word to be easy to miss. summer means “the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox”. sumner means “United States sociologist (1840-1910)”. summer is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈsʌmɚ/
1.n.the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
“they spent a lazy summer at the shore”
2.n.the period of finest development, happiness, or beauty
“the golden summer of his life”
3.v.spend the summer
“We summered in Kashmir”
| summer | sumner | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈsʌmɚ/ | /ˈsʌmnɚ/ |
| Said | SUHM-ur | SUHM-nur |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Letters | 6 | 6 |
| Parts of speech | noun, verb | noun |
| Senses | 3 | 1 |
| How common | Core | Familiar |
| Synonyms | summertime | William Graham Sumner |
Full entry for summer · Full entry for sumner · More comparisons
/ˈsʌmnɚ/
1.n.United States sociologist (1840-1910)