Days of the Week in English: Spellings and Meanings
Learn how to say, spell, and use the days of the week in everyday conversations. Whether you’re making social plans or working toward important dates at work or in school, you need to know the days of the week in English. It’s important to learn the names for the days and how to use them in conversation to avoid any confusion. That’s why, in this guide, you’ll learn not just the days of the week, but how English speakers talk about them.
The Origins and History of the Seven-Day Week
How did we get seven days of the week? English-speaking countries follow a seven-day week, originating from Jewish and Babylonian calendars. When people say “the days of the week,” they mean all the different days, Monday to Sunday, that make up a week – the seven days of the week.
Historically, Sunday is the first day of the week in English. Sunday is Christianity’s holy day of rest and worship, established as the first day of the week by Roman Emperor Constantine I in 321 A.D. However, many also accept Monday as the first day as it marks the start of the work week.
Reference Table: Abbreviations and Phonetics
Let’s start with the names of the days, how they’re pronounced, and the most common abbreviations for the days of the week.
| Day | Abbreviation | Phonetics |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Mon. | MUHN-day |
| Tuesday | Tues. | TYOOZ-day |
| Wednesday | Wed. | WENDZ-day |
| Thursday | Thurs. | THURZ-day |
| Friday | Fri. | FRY-day |
| Saturday | Sat. | SAT-uhr-day |
| Sunday | Sun. | SUHN-day |
Name Origins from English Days of the Week
The best way to remember the days of the week in English is to associate them with what they're named after. Name origins from English days of the week come from Roman, Norse, and Anglo-Saxon mythology.
- Sunday: Sunday is named after the sun.
- Monday: Monday is named after the moon just like in other Romance languages. The similar sounds of “Mon-” and “moon” make it easy to remember.
- Tuesday: Tuesday is named after Tiu, the Anglo-Saxon name of Tyr, Norse god of war. Tyr is one of the sons of Odin and is also known as Mars in Roman mythology.
- Wednesday: Wednesday is named after Odin, also known as Woden or Wotan. Odin is known for ruling with a spear and is famous for giving one of his eyes in exchange for wisdom.
- Thursday: The name Thursday comes from Thor’s Day. Thor, God of Thunder, is also a son of Odin and known for using a powerful hammer in battle.
- Friday: Friday is named after Frigg, the wife of Odin. Frigg represents beauty, love, and the earth in Norse mythology.
Understanding Weekdays and the Weekend
In English, weeks are broken into two parts. Weekdays are the five days that people traditionally go to work at offices, meaning the days from Monday to Friday. You’ll also hear people refer to this time period as the “work week” or “school week” and say things happen “during the week,” meaning within this range. The weekend – Saturday and Sunday – are days for rest and recreation.
Related Day Words
- Today: This present day
- Yesterday: The day before today
- Tomorrow: The day after today