Commonly Confused Words: Cite vs. Site vs. Sight

If you want to cite a site in your research paper, you’ll first have to get your sight checked so that you can see the computer screen. If you understood why I used cite, site, and sight in several different ways in that last sentence, I’ll give 10 points to Gryffindor. However, if you didn’t quite get it, don’t worry. I’ll help you understand cite vs. site vs. sight before you can say Slytherin.

Cite vs. Site vs. Sight at a Glance

Judging the difference between cite, site or sight doesn’t have to be difficult. Check out the meanings of sight, cite and site below to help clear up the confusion:

* Cite means that you’re going to reference another person’s work or idea.
* Site refers to a place’s physical location and is also an abbreviated version of the word website.
* Sight has to do with your vision or seeing something.

When To Use Cite

When you use the word cite as you draft a specialty blog post or custom SEO content, you’re quoting or formally mentioning other information that wasn’t originally yours. Cite is typically used as a verb. This verb can also be used as a notice of a violation.

Examples of using cite in a sentence:

– Even though I was going 47 miles over the speed limit, the officer didn’t cite me for the offense.

– She forgot to cite a source in her article, so her teacher gave her detention for six months.

When To Use Site

The word site can be used in two different ways. First, you can use it when you want to refer to a specified place. Second, site can act as a shortened version of the word website. Regardless of which way you use it, site is used when you want to refer to an actual place you can visit, whether it’s online or offline.

At this point, you’re probably thinking that it’d be easier if the internet didn’t exist so that there wouldn’t be two ways to use site. However, could you really survive living in a world where you weren’t watching Google cat videos while you’re trying to be productive?

Examples of using site in a sentence:

– Before he even had a chance to type in the site address, the internet shut down.

– They decided to visit the old construction site to find some building materials.        

When To Use Sight

As a noun, sight refers to something you can see. As a verb, sight can be used when you’re talking about your ability to see something.

Examples of using sight in a sentence:

– You won’t find any other sight in the world quite like the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

– The man’s sight was so bad that his optometrist decided to prescribe bifocals.

Cite vs. Site vs. Sight: It Only Takes a Little Bit of Foresight

If you’re still having a little bit of trouble keeping cite vs. site vs. sight straight, I have a simple way for you to fully grasp their differences. All you have to do is remember that if cite is an abbreviation of citation, and site refers to a physical or online location, you’ll have enough sight to use all of these words the right way.

Once you have cite and site vs. sight figured out, you’ll definitely be ready to win the House Cup! Are there any other commonly confused words that you have a hard time with? Let us know in the comments!