Is it "cite," "site," or "sight"?

Say "cite," "site," and "sight" out loud and you'll hear the same word three times. On paper, though, they mean completely different things, and spellcheck won't catch a mix-up, because all three are real words. Let's go through them one by one.

Cite

"Cite" is a verb. It means to mention something as a source, a reason, or an example. It's what you do when you say where your information came from.

• Students have to cite their sources in research papers.
• He cited traffic as the reason he was late.
• She cited personal reasons for leaving the job.
• The lawyer cited several earlier cases to support his argument.

You'll mostly see "cite" in academic, legal, and news writing. In everyday conversation, people usually say "quote" or "mention" instead. The noun is "citation," which you've probably seen at the end of a research paper.

Site

"Site" is a noun for a place where something is, was, or will be.

• The construction site is closed today.
• We found a great campsite right by the lake.
• This historic site gets thousands of visitors every year.

It's also short for "website":

• You can find more information on our school's site.
• The site keeps crashing when I try to log in.

Sight

"Sight" is all about seeing. It can mean your ability to see, the act of seeing something, or something worth looking at. It has the same silent "gh" as "night" and "light."

• My grandmother's sight isn't what it used to be.
• The Northern Lights are an incredible sight.
• We spent the day seeing the sights of Rome.
• It was love at first sight.

If you get stuck, think about what the word is doing. A source? That's "cite." A place? That's "site." Something you see? That's "sight."

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