![What [sic] means, and where it comes from](https://www.englishgrammar.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/what-sic-means-and-where-it-comes-from-20260329-223254.png)
[sic] is placed inside brackets after a word or phrase in a quotation to show that it appears exactly that way in the original. It tells the reader that the quoter did not introduce the mistake, spelling, or unusual wording.
For example, if a source says, “I loose [sic] my keys,” the brackets show that loose was in the original text, even though many readers would expect lose.
The term comes from Latin sic, meaning thus or so. In effect, it means, “yes, that is how it appeared.”
- Use it in direct quotations when an error or odd phrasing might make readers think you copied it incorrectly.
- Do not use it to mock someone or to call unnecessary attention to tiny differences.
- It is usually written in brackets because the brackets show it was added by the person quoting, not by the original writer.
A helpful contrast is this: if you silently fix the wording, you are editing the quote. If you keep the wording and add [sic], you are preserving it and explaining why it looks unusual.
