Buzz
As you read through a news piece, you might spot the word sic in brackets right in the middle of a quotation. If you’re not new to reading articles, you may already know that sic indicates that the words or phrases before it were quoted exactly as they appeared in the original text, even if there’s a misspelling or odd word choice.
But why sic? The simplest answer to this question is: Because Latin.
So what does sic truly mean?
Like e.g. (or exempli gratia), mea culpa, and many other expressions, sic is yet another term we’ve adopted from the so-called dead language of Latin. It translates to “thus” or “so,” as seen in sic semper tyrannis, meaning “thus ever to tyrants.” However, this hasn’t stopped people from coming up with various “backronyms” that offer slightly more explanation, such as “spelling is correct,” “said in copy,” “said in context,” etc.
Although sic isn’t a new concept, English writers didn’t start using it until the late 19th century, according to the Oxford English Dictionary.
How to Properly Use Sic
Sic typically appears within brackets or parentheses and may or may not be italicized. As for its usage, there are a few different situations where it’s appropriate. One is when a quote contains a typo, misspelling, or grammatical error. Once you use sic to highlight the mistake the first time, you don’t need to repeat it if the same error shows up in subsequent quotes from the same source.
Sic can also be useful if you’re writing something that might be misinterpreted as a mistake. Merriam-Webster points out the comic book Funny Aminals as an example: the deliberate misspelling of animals could easily be mistaken for a typo by someone unfamiliar with it.
While sic might seem convenient in theory, some view it as a problematic tool. As noted by Columbia Journalism Review's Merrill Perlman in 2014, sic “can come across as snarky, giving the impression of ‘we know better,’ while undermining the original author.”
Certain outlets advise using it sparingly, or not at all. In 2019, the Associated Press Stylebook declared that it would no longer use sic going forward.
“Most people don’t speak, off the cuff, in grammatically perfect sentences,” the Stylebook tweeted. “Using unnecessary quotes, or highlighting mistakes with a (sic) that readers don’t understand, benefits no one.” Instead, their experts suggest paraphrasing a quote if it’s the most effective way “to convey information as clearly as possible.”
If a quote includes a grammatical or spelling error (such as a typo), you can correct it directly with brackets. For instance, if a source says, “Using sic make the writer seem insufferably smug,” you could change “make” to “make[s]” without using sic and still preserve your source’s meaning.
“Correcting a typo with square brackets … is less confrontational than using sic,” The Chicago Manual of Style Online explains. “A general rule is to silently fix typos … unless you think it’s necessary to be transparent or avoid interfering.”
