Which to use
“sigh” is a verb and “sik” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,742
- “sigh” frequency rank
- #40,893
- “sik” frequency rank
- 48635
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sigh | sik |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To inhale a larger quantity of air than usual, and immediately expel it; to make a deep single audible respiration, especially as the result or involuntary expression of fatigue, exhaustion, grief, sorrow, frustration, or the like. | Alternative form of sick (“cool, excellent”). |
Letter map: sigh vs sik
Shared letters muted; letters that set sigh and sik apart highlighted. Shared run: 2. sigh runs 4 letters (CVCC) against sik's 3 (CVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Grammar separator: sigh vs sik
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: sigh is averb and sikanadjective. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48635, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sigh is recorded at frequency rank #7,742, classified as averb, pronounced /saɪ/. sik is at rank #40,893, tagged as anadj.
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 48635, this pair ranks #191,173 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of sigh vs sik
Shared letters: is. Private to "sigh": gh. Private to "sik": k.
"sigh" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "sik" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- sigh ← isgh · sgih · siggh · sighh · sihg · ssigh
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "sigh" for "sik" ever safe?
Frequency check: "sigh" vs "sik" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
You've compared "sigh" and "sik". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "sigh" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sik" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #191,173 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sigh" and "sik" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Sif vs sik". 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 #191,173 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.