sit

/sɪt/

//sɪt// verb

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

The verdict

“sit” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,355 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#1,355
frequency rank, English
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To be in a position in which the upper body is upright and supported by the buttocks.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

sit vs so
33% similar
sit vs SS
0% similar
sit vs SP
0% similar

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

Key facts for sit
PropertyValue
Headwordsit
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/sɪt/
Letters3
Frequency rank#1,355
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sit” 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). sit lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for sit is 3 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /sɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,355 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 17 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

sit doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "so", "SS", "SP", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *sed- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *sédyeti Proto-Germanic *sitjaną Proto-West Germanic *sittjan Old English sittan Middle English sitten English sit From Middle English sitten, from Old English sittan, f… The correct English form is sit, spelled S-I-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To be in a position in which the upper body is upright and supported by the buttocks.
  2. 2
    To move oneself into such a position.
  3. 3
    To occupy a given position.
  4. 4
    To remain in a state of repose; to rest; to abide; to rest in any position or condition.
  5. 5
    To be a member of a deliberative body.
  6. 6
    Of a legislative or, especially, a judicial body such as a court, to be in session.
  7. 7
    To lie, rest, or bear; to press or weigh.
  8. 8
    To be adjusted; to fit.
  9. 9
    To be accepted or acceptable; to work.
  10. 10
    To cause to be seated or in a sitting posture; to furnish a seat to.
  11. 11
    To accommodate in seats; to seat.
  12. 12
    To babysit.
  13. 13
    To take, to undergo or complete (an examination or test).
  14. 14
    To cover and warm eggs for hatching, as a fowl; to brood; to incubate.
  15. 15
    To take a position for the purpose of having some artistic representation of oneself made, such as a picture or a bust.
  16. 16
    To have position, as at the point blown from; to hold a relative position; to have direction.
  17. 17
    To keep one's seat when faced with (a blow, attack); to endure, to put up with.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *sed- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *sédyeti Proto-Germanic *sitjaną Proto-West Germanic *sittjan Old English sittan Middle English sitten English sit From Middle English sitten, from Old English sittan, from Proto-West Germanic *sittjan, from Proto-Germanic *sitjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *sed- (“sit”). Cognates Cognate with West Frisian sitte, Low German sitten, Dutch zitten, German sitzen, Swedish sitta, Norwegian Bokmål sitte, Norwegian Nynorsk sitja; and with Irish suigh, Latin sedeo, Russian сиде́ть (sidétʹ).

Synonyms

be seatedbe seatedsit downsit uptake a seatbebe foundbe situatebe acceptbe welcomebe well receiveseat

This word in other languages

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 "sit"?
"sit" is spelled S-I-T. The IPA pronunciation is /sɪt/.
What does "sit" mean?
As a verb, "sit" means: To be in a position in which the upper body is upright and supported by the buttocks.
What words are commonly confused with "sit"?
"sit" 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 "sit"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sit" is /sɪt/. 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 "sit"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *sed- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *sédyeti Proto-Germanic *sitjaną Proto-West Germanic *sittjan Old English sittan Middle English sitten English sit From Middle English sitten, from Old English... 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.

Using “sit”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-I-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /sɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “so” - see the side-by-side comparison. sit vs so
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list