Cite versus Site versus Sight

Cite vs. Site vs. Sight: What’s the Difference?

When to Use Cite

Cite is a verb, meaning to quote or refer to (something), to summon to bring in front of a court, or to issue a notice of violation. For example,

The advertisement cited a well-known study on the subject.

The summons cited three of the plaintiffs in the case.

The police officer did not cite me for speeding but gave me a warning.

Cite as a noun is the colloquial term for “citation.” This is something that refers to a source of information, such as in a research paper. For example,

The citation in the paper led me to a university journal.

Don’t forget to add citations to your report.

When to Use Site

Site is a noun, meaning a place or location whether physical (a building, a mall) or electronic (a website). For example,

Meet me at the new building site at noon.
Have you seen my new website?

There are many variations of the word “site” that usually involve adding a prefix to the word, i.e., website, jobsite, worksite, campsite.

Site also has a specialized use as a verb meaning to situate or locate on a site. For example,

They sited the factory near the water.

City Council sited this area as residential.

When to Use Sight

Sight can be used a noun and a verb with a number of different meanings, including the ability to see, something worth seeing, a device to aid the eye, to perceive with the eyes, to aim, among others. For example,

I cannot imagine life without my sight. (Noun)

I want to see all the sights in New York City. (Noun)

This gun has only iron sights. (Noun)

After two months at sea, we finally sighted land. (Verb)

I sighted along the barrel of the gun and shot the target. (Verb)

Summary

These three words all have different meanings, so it’s important to keep the apart.

Cite is to quote or refer to

something. It is commonly used in academic settings.

Site is a place or location that you can visit. It can be physical or electronic.

Sight has numerous meanings that mostly deal with vision and eyesight.

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