Karlonia.com

This group of homonyms is an issue that I have wanted to cover for several weeks. There are few things that give me that “fingernails on the chalkboard” feeling more than seeing someone spam a forum or email address by advertising their “web sight”. Now that I have worked through most of the others on my list, I hope to provide some enlightenment for people who are still misusing these words and unwittingly displaying their ignorance all over the Internet.

First of all, sight primarily refers to the ability to see or the act of seeing, that is, actually looking at something with your eyes. It is sometimes used in the more figurative sense of having a mental vision or focus. This word does not have anything to do with websites or references to academic sources. For example:

1. After nearly a month at sea, we sighted land and looked for a place to dock our ships.
2. The Republican Party has long ago lost sight of its purported philosophy of reducing the size of government and increasing individual liberty.

If the word is spelled as site, however, this can refer to a web site (a place on the Internet), or to a physical location where something is situated (such as a building or historical monument). For example:

1. When considering whether or not to purchase real estate for investment purposes, it is a good idea to inspect the site first so that you can make an honest assessment of the property’s real value.
2. Karlonia.com is a web site dedicated to increasing the personal and economic freedom of people throughout the world.

Finally, cite is a verb that means to quote or refer to another source as an authority or example. If used in a strictly legal context, it can also mean to summon before a court of law. For example:

1. While it is easy for students to cite Wikipedia as a reference, for academic papers it is generally recommended that they use more scholarly or less controversial sources of information.
2. It is common for attorneys to cite previously decided cases as legal precedent in the interest of gaining a favorable ruling for their clients.

Now we can look at examples of incorrect usage from other web pages:

Incorrect: This web sight will be updated regularly right up until Christmas. — message from the site owner of TravelingDogs.com/xmas

Correct: This web site will be updated regularly right up until Christmas.

Incorrect: Using information you find from other sources can make your site even more valuable, just make sure you site your sources and that your original works make up the majority of the information on your site. — Renee C. Quinn, “Making Your Website Better”, published at ipwatchdog.com

Correct: Using information you find from other sources can make your site even more valuable; just make sure you cite your sources and that your original works make up the majority of the information on your site.

Incorrect: Do carrots really improve your eye site or is that myth? — question asked by user “dwdrums” at askville.amazon.com

Correct: Do carrots really improve your eyesight or is that a myth?

Incorrect: Do you have any suggestions for what you would like to see here or on my web cite? — Daniel Mann at always-reforming.blogspot.com

Correct: Do you have any suggestions for what you would like to see here or on my web site?

Quick Summary: Sight is what you do with your eyes, cite is what you do with your sources, and site is a place where you try to make money on the Internet.