Sight, site and cite sound the same, and each has a different job. Sight is connected with the eyes and with things you see. Site is a place: a building site, a campsite, a website. Cite means to quote or mention a source as evidence.
The first letters carry the meanings. Sight has i for eye. Site has s for spot, because a site is a location. Cite has c for citation.
This page gives the three meanings, eight examples and 15 questions. Every answer names the job of the word in the sentence.
What each word means
sight
sight (noun): the ability to see, something you see, or a place worth visiting. "She lost her sight." "The sights of Rome."
site
site (noun): a place where something is, was or will be, including a website. "A building site." "A camp site."
cite
cite (verb): to quote or mention a source as evidence. Forms: cite, cited, citing. "Cite two studies."
The rule
Sight is about seeing
- The ability to see: lose your sight, poor sight, short sight.
- Something unusual that you see: "The accident was a terrible sight."
- Places worth visiting: the sights of Paris, sightseeing.
- Fixed phrases: at first sight, out of sight, catch sight of, love at first sight.
Site is a place
- A piece of land for building or camping: a building site, a construction site, a campsite.
- The place where something happened: the site of the battle, a historic site.
- A website or a server: a web site, the site is down, a site map.
- The plural is sites: "the sites we visited".
Cite is quoting
- It is a verb: to cite a source, cite an example, cite a study.
- Academic writing asks you to cite your sources so the reader can check them.
- The related nouns are citation and reference. The person who cites is a citer, a rare word.
- The pattern is cite something as something: "She cited the report as evidence."
The eye, spot and citation test
- Does the sentence involve the eyes? Use sight with i.
- Does the sentence describe a location or a website? Use site with e.
- Does the sentence quote a source or give evidence? Use cite with c, like citation.
- If the word is a verb, it is nearly always cite. Sight and site are mainly nouns.
How to remember
The trick: Sight has i for eye. Site is a spot or a website. Cite starts with c, like citation.
Examples
- She lost her sight in one eye.Sight is the ability to see, so it takes the i spelling.
- The city has many historic sights.The sights of a city are places worth seeing.
- The new building site is near the river.Site is the place where the building is going up.
- Please cite your sources in the essay.Cite is the verb meaning quote a source.
- The accident was a terrible sight.The scene that people saw was a sight.
- This website is easy to use.A website is a site with the e spelling.
- He cited two studies in his report.Cited is the past of the verb cite.
- The campsite is next to the lake.Campsite is a compound noun with site.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: The building cite is closed. Right: The building site is closed.
- A place where something is built is a site with e.
- Wrong: Please site your sources. Right: Please cite your sources.
- Quoting a source is the verb cite with c.
- Wrong: We visited the tourist cites. Right: We visited the tourist sights.
- Places worth seeing are sights with the i spelling.
- Wrong: I lost my site in one eye. Right: I lost my sight in one eye.
- The ability to see is sight with i.
- Wrong: A great web sight. Right: A great website.
- A website is a site, spelled with e.
Practice drill
Answer all 15 questions. Each answer is marked at once, and the rule is explained under the question.
She lost her ___ in one eye.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. sight The ability to see is sight with the i spelling.
The city has many historic ___.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. sights Places worth seeing are sights, spelled with i.
The new building ___ is near the river.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. site A place where a building goes up is a site with e.
Please ___ your sources in the essay.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. cite The verb meaning quote a source is cite with c.
The accident was a terrible ___.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. sight The scene that people saw is a sight with i.
This ___ is easy to use.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. site A website is a site, which is the place on the internet.
He ___ two studies in his report.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. cited The past of the verb cite is cited, spelled with c.
The ___ is next to the lake.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. site A campsite is a place, so the e spelling is correct.
Out of ___, out of mind.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. sight The proverb about seeing uses out of sight, with i.
The battle ___ is now a park.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. site The place where the battle happened is a site with e.
You must ___ the original article.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. cite Referring to a source as evidence uses the verb cite.
The ___ of the castle amazed us.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. sight The view that amazed them was a sight, with i.
The company moved to a new ___ last year.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. site A place for the company is a site with e.
She ___ the report as evidence.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. cited The evidence comes from a quoted source, so cited is correct.
We went ___ in the old town.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. sightseeing Visiting famous places is sightseeing, built from sight.
Questions learners ask
Is website one word or two?
Both appear. Website as one word is the modern standard, and web site with two words is older and still found. Either way, the second part is site with the e spelling.
What does sightseeing mean?
Sightseeing is visiting the famous places of an area. It joins sight to seeing, and both words keep their spellings. A sightseer is a person who does this.
How do I remember cite?
Cite starts with c, and its noun is citation. If you are giving the source of an idea, you cite it. A citation is the written record of what you cited.
More confusing words
Remember vs remind
Remember is memory that stays in your own head. Remind means to make someone else remember, so it needs a person after the verb.
Who vs whom
Who does the action, like he. Whom receives the action, like him, and often follows a preposition.
Principal vs principle
Principal means main, or the head of a school, or the capital sum of a loan. Principle is always a noun: a rule or a belief.
Browse all the confusing word pairs or take the free A1 to C2 level test to find your starting point.