'Sighs' are the long audible breaths of tiredness or relief (plural), or he/she sighs; 'size' is the measurement or dimensions of something.
Noun/verb. Plural of 'sigh': the long audible breaths. Third-person singular: he/she sighs. An audible exhalation expressing weariness, relief, or sadness.
She let out a long sigh of relief when the client approved the final design.
He sighs every time someone mentions the deadline — it clearly stresses him.
The collective sighs in the room made it clear that no one was happy with the outcome.
Noun/verb. The dimensions or extent of something. A clothing size. Also: to assess the dimensions of something, or a glue used to prepare surfaces.
What size do you need — small, medium, or large?
The company has grown to a size that requires dedicated human resources management.
She sized up the situation quickly and decided to withdraw the offer.
Common mistake
"The size of the problem" vs "she sighs at the problem" — both are correct with different meanings. Error: "The sighs of the building" when meaning dimensions (correct: size). Or "She sizes deeply" when meaning exhales (correct: sighs).
Trick to remember it
'Sighs' has the silent GH like 'night', 'light', 'high' — those silent GH words. 'Size' has Z like 'zero to large' — measurement, scale.
Quick rule
Are they the exhaled breaths of emotion? 'Sighs'. Is it the measurement or clothing size? 'Size'.
Did you know?
Sighs have a real physiological function: the lungs contain millions of air sacs (alveoli) that collapse during normal breathing. A deep sigh reinflates them, preventing CO2 build-up. People sigh about 12 times per hour without noticing. The silent GH in 'sigh' was once a guttural sound like the Spanish J — it disappeared from pronunciation by the 16th century but remained in spelling. 'Size up' (to assess) is a boxing term: fighters 'size up' (measure) their opponent before the match.
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
Could you confirm the _____ requirements for the shipping boxes before we place the order?
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The whole team _____ when the project deadline was brought forward by two weeks.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Are they the exhaled breaths of emotion? 'Sighs'. Is it the measurement or clothing size? 'Size'.
"The size of the problem" vs "she sighs at the problem" — both are correct with different meanings. Error: "The sighs of the building" when meaning dimensions (correct: size). Or "She sizes deeply" when meaning exhales (correct: sighs).
'Sighs' has the silent GH like 'night', 'light', 'high' — those silent GH words. 'Size' has Z like 'zero to large' — measurement, scale.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy