# sin

> English word · Noun · IPA /sɪn/ · frequency rank #3,848

## Definitions
1. A violation of divine will or religious law.
2. Sinfulness, depravity, iniquity.
3. A misdeed or wrong.
4. A sin offering; a sacrifice for sin.
5. An embodiment of sin; a very wicked person.
6. A flaw or mistake.
7. sin bin

## Etymology
From Middle English sinne, synne, sunne, zen, from Old English synn (“sin”), from Proto-West Germanic *sunnju, from Proto-Germanic *sunjō (“truth, excuse”) and *sundī, *sundijō (“sin”), from , from *h₁sónts ("being, true", implying a verdict of "truly guilty" against an accusation or charge), from *h₁es- (“to be”); compare Old English sōþ ("true"; see sooth). Doublet of suttee.
Cognates
Cognate with Saterland Frisian Sände, Säände (“sin”), West Frisian sûnde (“sin”), German Sünde (“sin”), Luxembourgish Sënd, Sënn (“sin”), Vilamovian zynd (“sin”) Yiddish זינד (zind, “sin”), Danish, Faroese, Icelandic, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish synd (“sin”), Gothic 𐍃𐌿𐌽𐌾𐌰 (sunja, “truth”), Latin sont-, sons (“sinful, guilty, criminal”).

## Easily confused with
- **so** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sin-vs-so)
- **SS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sin-vs-ss)
- **SP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sin-vs-sp)
- **su** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sin-vs-su)
- **SM** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sin-vs-sm)
- **SW** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sin-vs-sw)
- **SL** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sin-vs-sl)
- **SK** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sin-vs-sk)
- **SV** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sin-vs-sv)
- **SJ** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sin-vs-sj)
- **Sy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sin-vs-sy)
- **six** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sin-vs-six)
- **son** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sin-vs-son)
- **sir** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sin-vs-sir)
- **sun** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sin-vs-sun)
- **sit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sin-vs-sit)
- **sky** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sin-vs-sky)
- **sub** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sin-vs-sub)
- **sum** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sin-vs-sum)
- **spy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sin-vs-spy)

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/sin