sig

Name: sig, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/sɪɡ/

//sɪɡ// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“sig” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #20,497) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#20,497
frequency rank, English: 6,566
“S” headwords: 20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A signature, especially one on emails or newsgroup postings.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sig · sig · English

sig · rank #20,497 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

FREQ-MID #20,497
LEN-MID 3 letters
VOW-1 1 vowel
CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
VAR-0 0 variants
BOOK-DENSE 6,566
PHOTO-FINISH Shrek

Nearest frequency peer: Shrek (-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.

sharpe

79,507
shipyard

79,506
Shrek

79,505
sig

79,504
silica

79,503
simmer

79,502

What this shows Bars show where “sig” 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).

sig vs so

33% similar

sig vs SS

0% similar

sig vs SP

0% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for sig
Property	Value
Headword	sig
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/sɪɡ/
Letters	3
Frequency rank	#20,497
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	20
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sig” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). sig lands here:

#20,497

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for sig is neighbouring look-alikes ("so", "SS", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /sɪɡ/. Frequency #20,497 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Gloss: "A signature, especially one on emails or newsgroup postings.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for sig in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "so", "SS", "SP", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Clipping of signature. The correct English form is sig, spelled S-I-G.

Definition

1
A signature, especially one on emails or newsgroup postings.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

Your sig should ideally be four or five lines long, six or seven at the maximum. Since it will be repeated on hundreds of messages, a long signature wastes bandwidth and is therefore rude.
Posting good content is the best way to get people clicking your sig link.

Etymology

Clipping of signature.

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 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "sig"?

"sig" is spelled S-I-G. The IPA pronunciation is /sɪɡ/.

What does "sig" mean?

As a noun, "sig" means: A signature, especially one on emails or newsgroup postings.

What words are commonly confused with "sig"?

"sig" is commonly confused with "so", "SS", "SP". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "sig"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sig" is /sɪɡ/. 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 "sig"?

Clipping of signature. 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 "sig", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

ses#20,491 SOB#20,503 STR#20,507 sai#20,482

What to do next

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

"sig" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "so". View pair
Usage frequency rank #20,497 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.