Sight, Site and Cite Sound Alike and Mean Nothing Alike
Sight is the ability to see. Two homophones cause frequent errors, and none of the three share an origin.
Sight is the faculty of seeing, or something seen. Three identical-sounding words with three separate origins: *sight* is Old English, from *seon*, to see; *site* is Latin *situs*, a position; *cite* is Latin *citare*, to summon. A building site, a cited source and a beautiful sight have nothing in common but their sound. *A sight for sore eyes* means a welcome arrival, and *out of sight* now means both hidden and excellent.
- The ability to see. *Failing sight.*
- Something seen. *A wonderful sight.*
- Site — a location. *A building site.*
- Cite — to quote. *Cite the source.*
- Old English — *sihth*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | sight | A sight. |
| Plural | sights | The sights. |
| Verb | sight | Sight land. |
| Homophone | site | A site. |
| Homophone | cite | Cite it. |
- Her sight is failing.Faculty.
- The site was cleared for building.Location.
- Cite your sources properly.Quotation.
Sight in phrases
- A sight for sore eyes — a very welcome arrival
- Out of sight — hidden, or in slang excellent
- Sight unseen — bought without inspection
- Set your sights on — from aiming a weapon
- Second sight — supposed ability to foresee events
Old English *sihth*, the faculty of sight, from *seon*, to see.
Sight, site or cite?
Sight is seeing, site is a place, cite is to quote a source. The three are unrelated despite sounding identical.
What does sight unseen mean?
Bought or agreed to without having inspected the item first.