Sight, Site or Cite
These three words sound exactly the same yet have very different meanings. Most people understand the first one well, but I’ve seen times of confusion with the other two.
Sight (n) – to do with the eyes and seeing
She had very good sight
Sight (v) – catch a glimpse of, or take aim
His boss used to sight the invoices before approving payment
Site (n) – a place (building site, campsite, website)
Warnings advised people to stay out of the construction site
Site (v) – to place something
She was told to site the resource table in a high-traffic area
Cite (v) – refer to (a passage, book or author) as an example or to help justify your argument; or praise
It is helpfully to cite your sources of information
He was cited for bravery during the war
Sight, Site and Cite in the same sentence (showing different meanings)
I don’t expect you would generally find all three of these words in the same sentence. It could be confusing to have the same sound repeated three times in a short space! However, to show the difference in meaning: “As he caught sight of his reflection in the shop window, he recalled this was the site where he’d been cited for bravery the previous year”.
Sight, site or cite? I hope this has helped you decide which to use when you next need to use one of them.
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