sit
/sɪt/verb, noun
sit is spelled S-I-T: 3 letters and one syllable. It appears 79 times per million words in written English, the 1,338th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, sit means “To be in a position in which the upper body is upright and supported by the buttocks” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in sit?
| Letters | 3: S-I-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 79 times per million words; the 1,338th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| 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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is sit?
Sit appears 79 times per million words in written English, the 1,338th 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 sit?
- /sɪt/
Sit 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-sit.ogg, En-au-sit.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with sit?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as sit.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: its, tis, ist.
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 sit
- sits present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- sitting participle, present
- sat past, participle, singular, he/she/it, plural
- sattest past, singular
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does sit mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To be in a position in which the upper body is upright and supported by the buttocks.
After a long day of walking, it was good just to sit and relax.
- 2
To move oneself into such a position.
I asked him to sit.
- 3
To occupy a given position.
The dishes are still sitting on the table!
- 4
To remain in a state of repose; to rest; to abide; to rest in any position or condition.
- 5
To be a member of a deliberative body.
I currently sit on a standards committee.
- 6
Of a legislative or, especially, a judicial body such as a court, to be in session.
In what city is the circuit court sitting for this session?
- 7
To lie, rest, or bear; to press or weigh.
- 8
To be adjusted; to fit.
Your new coat sits well.
noun
- 1
An act of sitting.
- 2
Subsidence of the roof of a coal mine.
- 3
rareAn event, usually lasting one full day or more, where the primary goal is to sit in meditation.
- 4
informalClipping of situation.
noun
- 1
Initialism of special information tone.
- 2
IndiaInitialism of Special Investigation Team.
- 3
Initialism of spontaneous ignition temperature.
- 4
Initialism of sterile insect technique
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Sit in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | être assis, être assise, s'asseoir , siéger |
| German | sitzen, hocke , angehören , liegen |
| Portuguese | estar sentado |
| Spanish | sentarse, estar sentado, seer , pertenecer , asentarse , encajar |
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 sit come from?
From Middle English sitten, from Old English sittan, from Proto-West Germanic *sittjan, from Proto-Germanic *sitjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *sed- (“sit”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).