sight

/saɪt/

//saɪt// noun

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

"sight" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sight” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,808. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,808
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The ability to see.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sight · sight · English

sight · rank #2,808 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,808
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH reporting

Nearest frequency peer: reporting (-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 “sight”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “sight” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

sight vs sit
60% similar
sight vs sign
60% similar
sight vs Sikh
40% similar

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

Key facts for sight
PropertyValue
Headwordsight
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/saɪt/
Letters5
Frequency rank#2,808
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sight” sits in English frequency

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).sight lands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around sight (IPA /saɪt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,808 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for sight, with forms such as "isght", "sgiht", and "sigght". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "sit", "sign", "Sikh", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English siȝht, siȝt, siht, from Old English siht, sihþ (“something seen; vision”), from Proto-West Germanic *sihti, equivalent to see + -t. Cognate with Scots sicht, Saterland Frisian Sicht, West Frisian sicht, Dutch zicht, German Low German Sic… The correct English form is sight, spelled S-I-G-H-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The ability to see.
  2. 2
    The act of seeing; perception of objects by the eye; view.
  3. 3
    Something seen.
  4. 4
    Something worth seeing; a spectacle, either good or bad.
  5. 5
    A device used in aiming a projectile, through which the person aiming looks at the intended target.
  6. 6
    A small aperture through which objects are to be seen, and by which their direction is settled or ascertained.
  7. 7
    a great deal, a lot; frequently used to intensify a comparative.
  8. 8
    In a drawing, picture, etc., that part of the surface, as of paper or canvas, which is within the frame or the border or margin. In a frame, the open space, the opening.
  9. 9
    The instrument of seeing; the eye.
  10. 10
    Mental view; opinion; judgment.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He is losing his sight and now can barely read.
  2. Thy sight is young, / And thou shalt read when mine begin to dazzle.

Etymology

From Middle English siȝht, siȝt, siht, from Old English siht, sihþ (“something seen; vision”), from Proto-West Germanic *sihti, equivalent to see + -t. Cognate with Scots sicht, Saterland Frisian Sicht, West Frisian sicht, Dutch zicht, German Low German Sicht, German Sicht, Danish sigte, Swedish sikte.

This word in other languages

vista(Español)vue(Français)Sehenswürdigkeit(Deutsch)vista(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • isght
  • sgiht
  • sigght
  • sighht
  • sightt
  • sigth
  • sihgt
  • ssight

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sight - 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.

isght2sgiht2sigght1sighht1sightt1sigth2sihgt2ssight1
Edit distance from "sight"

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 "sight"?
"sight" is spelled S-I-G-H-T. The IPA pronunciation is /saɪt/.
What does "sight" mean?
As a noun, "sight" means: The ability to see.
What words are commonly confused with "sight"?
"sight" is commonly confused with "sit", "sign", "Sikh". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sight"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sight" is /saɪt/. 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 "sight"?
From Middle English siȝht, siȝt, siht, from Old English siht, sihþ (“something seen; vision”), from Proto-West Germanic *sihti, equivalent to see + -t. Cognate with Scots sicht, Saterland Frisian Sicht, West Frisian sicht, Dutch zicht, German Low ... 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 "sight", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

print#2,804multi#2,801broad#2,820Irish#2,796

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

soviet8 variantsweapon8 variantsmanage8 variantsempire8 variants

What to do next

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

  • "sight" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "sit". View pair
  • 8 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #2,808 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