Sign or sine?
sign is a noun meaning “A visible fact that shows that something exists or may happen”; sine is a noun meaning “In a right triangle, the ratio of the length of the side opposite an angle to…”. They sound the same (/saɪn/). In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) sign is about 95 times as common as sine.
What is the difference between sign and sine?
| sign | sine | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | noun, verb | noun |
| Meaning | A visible fact that shows that something exists or may happen An omen To mark, to put or leave a mark on | In a right triangle, the ratio of the length of the side opposite an angle to the length of the hypotenuse |
| Example | Their angry expressions were a clear sign they didn't want to talk | none recorded |
| Forms | signs | sines |
| Pronunciation | /saɪn/ /sɑe̯n/ [sɑe̯n] | /saɪn/ |
| In writing | 120 times per million words | 1.3 times per million words |
Sources: sign and sine 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 sign and sine
sign
- 1
A visible fact that shows that something exists or may happen
Their angry expressions were a clear sign they didn't want to talk
- 2
To mark, to put or leave a mark on
- 3
An omen
"It's a sign of the end of the world," the doom prophet said
- 4
To validate or ratify (a document) by writing one's signature on it
- 5
A property of the body that indicates a disease and, unlike a symptom, can be detected objectively by someone other than the patient
Signs of disease are objective, whereas symptoms are subjective
- 6
More generally, to write one's signature on (something) as a means of identification etc
I forgot to sign that letter to my aunt
- 7
A mark or another symbol used to represent something
The sharp sign indicates that the pitch of the note is raised a half step
- 8
To write (one's name) as a signature
Just sign your name at the bottom there
sine
- 1
In a right triangle, the ratio of the length of the side opposite an angle to the length of the hypotenuse
- 2
Acronym of short interspersed element, a type of retrotransposon in genomics
- 3
Acronym of selective inhibitors of nuclear export, a drug for epithelioid sarcoma
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, sign or sine?
sign appears 120 times per million words; sine 1.3 times per million words.
sign 120 times per million wordssine 1.3 times per million words
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).