# shift vs sift

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### shift
*noun · IPA /ʃɪft/ · frequency rank #2,644*
A movement to do something, a beginning.

### sift
*verb · IPA /sɪft/ · frequency rank #28,368*
To sieve or strain (something).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shift-vs-sift