Sign in
Site, sight, or cite
They sound the same: site is a place or website, sight is vision or something seen, and cite means to quote a source or example.
Quick rule
A place or website? Site. Something to do with seeing? Sight. Naming a source, reason, or example? Cite.
A place where something is, will be, or happened (a building site), or a website.
The ability to see, the act of seeing, or something you see: at first sight, the sights of a city.
To mention a source, reason, or example to support what you say. It is formal.
How to choose
| Question | site | sight | cite |
|---|---|---|---|
| Is it a place or a website? | Yes | No | No |
| Does it have to do with seeing? | No | Yes | No |
| Is it naming a source, reason, or example? | No | No | Yes |
Why it trips people up
All three are pronounced /saɪt/, and each is a real word, so spell-checkers let the wrong one through. The meaning decides: a place is site, seeing is sight, and quoting a source is cite.
How they sound
All three are homophones: /saɪt/ in both American and British English.
- site/saɪt/
- sight/saɪt/
- cite/saɪt/
How each one works
Site
A place for a building
They are building a hospital on this site.
A website
Visit our site for more information.
Where something happened
This is the site of a famous battle.
Sight
Vision
My grandfather is losing his sight.
Seeing for the first time
It was love at first sight.
Places tourists visit
We saw all the sights of Rome in two days.
Cite
Naming a source
Remember to cite every source you use.
Mentioning as support
She cited three studies in her essay.
Giving a reason
The company cited high costs as the reason.
Set phrases
Site
- building site
- a place where a building is being built
Sight
- at first sight
- when you see someone or something for the first time
- lose sight of
- to stop being able to see something; also, to forget what matters
Common mistakes
Wrong: Out of site, out of mind.
Right: Out of sight, out of mind.
The saying is about not seeing someone, so it takes sight.
Wrong: Don't lose site of your goals.
Right: Don't lose sight of your goals.
Lose sight of comes from seeing, so it is sight.
Memory trick
Sight has gh like light: no light, no sight. Cite starts with c, like citation. Site is the plain one: a place, or your website.
It depends
- Cite in law
- In legal English, cite also means to order someone to appear in court, or to name them in a case: He was cited for contempt.
FAQ
Cite or site your sources?
Cite your sources. To cite is to name where information came from; site is a place or website.
Is it sightseeing or siteseeing?
Sightseeing, from sight: you go out to see the sights of a place.
Sight unseen or site unseen?
Sight unseen: you buy or accept something without seeing it first.