Sew or sue?
sew is a verb meaning “To use a needle to pass thread repeatedly through (pieces of fabric) in order…”; sue is a verb meaning “To file a legal action against someone, generally a non-criminal (civil) action”. In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) sue is about 5.9 times as common as sew.
What is the difference between sew and sue?
| sew | sue | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | verb, noun | verb, noun |
| Meaning | To use a needle to pass thread repeatedly through (pieces of fabric) in order to join them together To use a needle to pass thread repeatedly through pieces of fabric in order to join them together Of a ship, to be grounded | To file a legal action against someone, generally a non-criminal (civil) action To seek by request; to make application; to petition; to entreat; to plead informalSynonym of Mary Sue (“type of character in fiction”) |
| Example | I sewed a button on | sue someone for selling a faulty product |
| Forms | sews, sewing, sewed, sewn sews, sewing, sewed | sues, suing, sued |
| Pronunciation | /səʊ/ /soʊ/ /səʉ/ | /sjuː/ /sɪu̯/ /suː/ |
| In writing | 2.8 times per million words | 17 times per million words |
Sources: sew and sue in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of sew and sue
sew
- 1
To use a needle to pass thread repeatedly through (pieces of fabric) in order to join them together
I sewed a button on
- 2
Of a ship, to be grounded
- 3
To use a needle to pass thread repeatedly through pieces of fabric in order to join them together
- 4
Followed by into: to enclose by sewing
to sew money into a bag
sue
- 1
To file a legal action against someone, generally a non-criminal (civil) action
sue someone for selling a faulty product
- 2
informalSynonym of Mary Sue (“type of character in fiction”)
- 3
To seek by request; to make application; to petition; to entreat; to plead
The king of Bimsa sued for peace after Nynal's armies overran his territory; he knew any further resistance would only harm the common people
- 4
To clean (the beak, etc.)
- 5
To leave high and dry on shore
to sue a ship
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, sew or sue?
sew appears 2.8 times per million words; sue 17 times per million words.
sew 2.8 times per million wordssue 17 times per million words
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).