sign
/saɪn/noun, verb
sign is spelled S-I-G-N: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 120 times per million words in written English, the 873rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, sign means “A visible fact that shows that something exists or may happen” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of sign is signs.
How many letters and syllables are in sign?
| Letters | 4: S-I-G-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 120 times per million words; the 873rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Sounds like | |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is sign?
Sign appears 120 times per million words in written English, the 873rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce sign?
- US /saɪn/
- Australia /sɑe̯n/
- [sɑe̯n]
Sign has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-sign.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-sign.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Grendelkhan-sign.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with sign
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sounds like: sine, syne (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with sign?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as sign from its last stressed vowel (/aɪn/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: sing.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of sign
- signs plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- signing participle, present
- signed participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does sign mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 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
An omen.
"It's a sign of the end of the world," the doom prophet said.
- 3
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.
- 4
A mark or another symbol used to represent something.
The sharp sign indicates that the pitch of the note is raised a half step.
- 5
AustraliaCanadaUSPhysical evidence left by an animal.
The hunters found deer sign at the end of the trail.
- 6
A clearly visible object, generally flat, bearing a short message in words or pictures.
The sign in the window advertised a room for rent.
- 7
A wonder; miracle; prodigy.
- 8
An astrological sign.
Your sign is Taurus? That's no surprise.
verb
- 1
archaicTo seal (a document etc.) with an identifying seal or symbol.
The Queen signed her letter with the regal signet.
- 2
To mark, to put or leave a mark on.
- 3
To validate or ratify (a document) by writing one's signature on it.
- 4
More generally, to write one's signature on (something) as a means of identification etc.
I forgot to sign that letter to my aunt.
- 5
To write (one's name) as a signature.
Just sign your name at the bottom there.
- 6
To write one's signature.
Please sign on the dotted line.
- 7
To finalise a contractual agreement to work for a given sports team, record label etc.
Agents say Wales back Gavin Henson has signed for Cardiff Blues.
- 8
To engage (a sports player, musician etc.) in a contract.
It was a great month. I managed to sign three major players.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Sign in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | signe, indication , symbole , marqueur, panneau , signer |
| German | Zeichen, Anzeichen , Sonderzeichen , Schild , unterzeichnen , unterschreiben |
| Portuguese | sinal , símbolo , placa , assinar , gesto , sinais |
| Spanish | signo, muestra , aviso, señal, letrero, placa |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does sign come from?
From Middle English signe, sygne, syng, seine, sine, syne, from Old English seġn (“sign; mark; token”) and Old French signe, seing (“sign; mark; signature”); both from Latin signum (“a mark; sign; token”); root uncertain. Doublet of signum and signal. Partially displaced native token.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).