cite
/saɪt/
"cite" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“cite” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,666. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #11,666
- frequency rank, English
- 5,599
- “C” headwords
- 5
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - To quote; to repeat, as a passage from a book, or the words of another.
Corpus desk
Index EN-cite · cite · English
cite · rank #11,666 · 5 variants · 20 confusables
- FREQ-MID #11,666
- LEN-MID 4 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
- VAR-MID 5 variants
- BOOK-DENSE 5,599
- PHOTO-FINISH chaotic
Nearest frequency peer: chaotic (-2 rank slots)
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
Frequency neighbourhood for “cite”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- capped
capped
88,339 corpus weight
- Carlton
Carlton
88,338 corpus weight
- chaotic
chaotic
88,337 corpus weight
- cite
cite
88,335 corpus weight
- commentator
commentator
88,333 corpus weight
- commercially
commercially
88,332 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “cite” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | cite |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /saɪt/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #11,666 |
| Misspellings tracked | 5 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “cite” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 5 spelling variants around cite (IPA /saɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #11,666 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for cite, with forms such as "ccite", "ciet", and "citte". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "CT", "cut", "cue", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French citer, from Latin citare (“to cause to move, excite, summon”), frequentative of ciēre (“to rouse, excite, call”). Sense 4 is the original one. The correct English form is cite, spelled C-I-T-E.
Definition
- 1To quote; to repeat, as a passage from a book, or the words of another.
- 2To mention; to make mention of.
- 3To mention; to make mention of.
- 4To list the source(s) from which one took information, words or literary or verbal context.
- 5To summon officially or authoritatively to appear in court.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how cite appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
WikiLeaks did not cause these uprisings but it certainly informed them. The dispatches revealed details of corruption and kleptocracy that many Tunisians suspected, but could not prove, and would cite as they took to the streets.
Until then, the Sunak administration remains a study in ineffectuality on multiple fronts, leading Goldsmith to cite, not unreasonably, “a kind of paralysis”.
Etymology
From Old French citer, from Latin citare (“to cause to move, excite, summon”), frequentative of ciēre (“to rouse, excite, call”). Sense 4 is the original one.
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- ccite
- ciet
- citte
- ctie
- icte
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cite - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "cite"?
What does "cite" mean?
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "cite", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (5 here; floor ≥5).
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.