Which to use
“sets” and “sites” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,088
- “sets” frequency rank
- #1,878
- “sites” frequency rank
- 3966
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sets | sites |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of set | plural of site |
Where the eye mixes sets and sites
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. sets runs 4 letters (CVCC) against sites's 5 (CVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between sets and sites
A purely visual mix-up. sets (/sɛts/) and sites (/saɪts/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3966, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sets is recorded at frequency rank #2,088, classified as anoun, pronounced /sɛts/. sites is at rank #1,878, tagged as anoun, pronounced /saɪts/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 3966, this pair ranks #520,414 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sets vs sites
Shared letters: est. Private to "sets": -. Private to "sites": i.
"sets" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "sites" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "sets" and "sites" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "sets" or "sites"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "sets" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sites" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #520,414 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sets" and "sites" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sets vs suds". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #520,414 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.