Names of the Days of the Week in English

by | Mar 11, 2025 | Themed Vocabulary

Days of the week are some of the most commonly used words in the English language. We use them every day to talk about our plans, routines, and schedules. Learning the names of the days of the week in English is essential for effective English communication. They are part of our daily conversations, and we frequently use them in our talks.

In this guide, you will learn the names of the days of the week in English, their spellings, pronunciation, meanings, abbreviations, and origins. You will also learn how to use them in sentences with practical, everyday use examples.

Table of Contents

Names of the Days of the Week in English

There are seven days in one week, which include weekdays and weekends. Weekdays are five days of the week, starting from Monday to Friday. They are also known as workdays. Almost everywhere in the world, people consider workdays to be Monday to Friday. On the other hand, the word weekend is used for the end of the week. It includes two days: Saturday and Sunday.

For example:

  • I usually relax at home on Sunday.
  • Our English class starts on Monday
  • We will go shopping on Tuesday.

List of Days of the Week in Order

Here are the seven days of the week in English listed in order:

  • Sunday
  • Monday
  • Tuesday
  • Wednesday
  • Thursday
  • Friday
  • Saturday

What Day is the First Day of the Week?

Monday is mostly considered the first day of the week. The reason is that the first day of work starts on Monday once the weekend is over.

According to Britannica, a week begins on Sunday in the United States, while it starts on Monday in the United Kingdom.

Similarly, the Merriam-Webster dictionary describes a week as a 7-day cycle that ends on Saturday and begins on Sunday.

Names and Abbreviations of Days of the Week

In English writing, the names of the days of the week can be written in two ways: the full name of the day or its abbreviation. The first letter of the word must be a capital letter.

For example:

  • I will see you on Monday.

The first letter of the word Monday is capitalized.

However, when we use abbreviations of the names of days of the week, we write them with three letters. The first letter must be a capital letter, and we add a period at the end of three letters.

The following table shows how to write abbreviations or short forms of the names of the days of the week.

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Names of the Weekends

In English, the word ‘weekend’ is most commonly used to refer to the end of the week. The weekend means two days; Saturday and Sunday.

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Examples

  • I buy groceries on the weekend.
  • He visits his parents on the weekend.
  • The store will be closed on the weekend.
  • The management will meet on the weekend to discuss important issues.

Other Names of the Weekdays

Sometimes we use other names for the days of the week in English communication to describe things or talk about events—for instance, yesterday, today, tomorrow, or the other day. Yesterday means the day before today, tomorrow refers to the day after today, and today is the present day. Let’s look at the following examples using words yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Examples:

  • I met him yesterday.
  • He is coming today.
  • The meeting will start at 10 p.m. tomorrow.
  • It’s raining today.
  • Snowfall will start tomorrow.
  • I will be off from work the day after tomorrow.
  • My friend called me the day before yesterday.
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Names and Meanings of the Days of the Week

Each day of the week represents a certain meaning. These associated meanings tell us about the history and origin of the days of the week. We also get information about how they were named. Let’s take a brief look at the names and their associations:

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Origins of the Days of the Week

The origin of the days of the week dates back to the Babylonians, who first divided time into a seven-day week. They named days after the seven heavenly bodies that they could see in the sky, such as the Sun, Moon, and five planets.

Later, Jewish tradition reinforced this idea through the seven days of creation of the universe in the Bible.

Then, the Romans named the days after their gods and planets. Later on, when this system spread across Europe, the days’ names were mixed with Norse mythology.

How to Use Days of the Week in Sentences

In English, days of the week are often used with prepositions such as on, by, and since. 

For example:

  • We meet on Monday.
  • Finish this work by Friday.
  • I have been studying since Sunday.

Days of the week are also used in everyday expressions, such as:

  • Monday blues (feeling tired at the start of the week)
  • Weekend plans (things to do on Saturday or Sunday)

Capitalization and Grammar Rules

In English writing, there are some simple but important grammar rules for using the names of the days of the week. By following these grammar rules, you can make your writing free from grammatical mistakes. Let’s talk about each grammar rule in detail:

1. Capitalization

The names of the days are always capitalized in writing. The reason is that they are proper nouns. See the following examples:

  • Monday is my busiest day of the week. (Correct)
  • monday is my busines day of the week. (Incorrect)

2. Singular and Plural Forms

Days of the week can be used as both singular and plural. To talk about a specific day, we use them as singular. On the other hand, we use names of the days as plurals to describe repeated actions. See the following examples:

  • I have a dentist appointment on Tuesday.
  • She takes English classes on Tuesdays.

3. Prepositions with Days of the Week

The preposition on is mostly used with the names of days in English. See the following examples:

  • See you on Friday.
  • The next meeting will be on Monday.

Examples of Names of Days in Sentences

  • He will be working next week.
  • The store is open seven days a week.
  • I will be visiting my parents on next Monday.
  • My doctor’s appointment is tomorrow.
  •  I am off from work on weekends.
  • The first day of the week is Monday.
  • I submitted my assignment yesterday.
  • My graduation ceremony was on the day before yesterday.
  • The weekend starts on Friday night.

Phrases Containing Days of the Week

In English, several phrases related to the word “week” are used. Learning these English phrases will help you better understand English communication. The reason is that these phrases are commonly used in daily life.

  • week in and week out
  • a week from today
  • week after next
  • week after week
  • working week

Final Words

In English, days of the week are commonly used in our daily life to talk about things. We explain and describe things in

The days of the week are used to describe or explain something about time. They help us talk about things.

Learning the days of the week will undoubtedly add new vocabulary and help you communicate better while speaking and writing. I hope this article has helped you understand the days of the week in English.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many days are in one week in English?

There are seven days in a week in English: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

When did the days of the week start?

The days of the week started when the Babylonians first divided the week into seven days and named each day after the seven heavenly bodies: the Sun, Moon, and five planets.

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