sib

/sɪb/

//sɪb// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"sib" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sib” is uncommon English (frequency #60,471 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,471
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having kinship or relationship; related by same-bloodedness; kindred.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sib · sib · English

sib · rank #60,471 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #60,471
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH shrivel

Nearest frequency peer: shrivel (-1 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 “sib”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “sib” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for sib
PropertyValue
Headwordsib
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/sɪb/
Letters3
Frequency rank#60,471
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sib” sits in English frequency

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).siblands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “shrivel” (#60,470), “shrike” (#60,469), “slithering” (#60,473). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

sib is uncommon English at frequency #60,471 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /sɪb/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for sib, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English sib, from Old English sibb (“related, akin, sib”), from Proto-Germanic *sibjaz (“related”), from Proto-Indo-European *sebʰ-, *swebʰ- (“one's own”). Cognate with West Frisian besibbe (“related”), Middle Dutch sibbe (“related”), Middle Low… The correct English form is sib, spelled S-I-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having kinship or relationship; related by same-bloodedness; kindred.
  2. 2
    Akin (to); similar (to).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how sib appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. […] they are sibber to you than ever Miss Innes was or will be; and if like to bid me, […]
  2. seeing that his Majesty is "sibber to him than all the brothers and sons he has in the world." So far, James Haig had played his part with consummate skill.

Etymology

From Middle English sib, from Old English sibb (“related, akin, sib”), from Proto-Germanic *sibjaz (“related”), from Proto-Indo-European *sebʰ-, *swebʰ- (“one's own”). Cognate with West Frisian besibbe (“related”), Middle Dutch sibbe (“related”), Middle Low German sibbe (“related”), Middle High German sippe (“related”), Icelandic sifi (“related”).

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "sib"?
"sib" is spelled S-I-B. The IPA pronunciation is /sɪb/.
What does "sib" mean?
As an adjective, "sib" means: Having kinship or relationship; related by same-bloodedness; kindred.
How do you pronounce "sib"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sib" is /sɪb/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "sib"?
From Middle English sib, from Old English sibb (“related, akin, sib”), from Proto-Germanic *sibjaz (“related”), from Proto-Indo-European *sebʰ-, *swebʰ- (“one's own”). Cognate with West Frisian besibbe (“related”), Middle Dutch sibbe (“related”), ... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "sib", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

SFM#60,455RRR#60,434RFK#60,421pOH#60,378

What to do next

You've looked up "sib". Here's where to go from here.

  • Usage frequency rank #60,471 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "S" letter cohort. S–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list