The Latin adverb sic, meaning "thus" or "just as," is used in English to indicate that a copied or quoted word or phrase that appears odd or erroneous is quoted just as it was originally used. The word sic is typically italicized between brackets (e.g., [sic]) immediately after the odd or erroneous spelling, punctuation, grammar, syntax, fact, logic, etc., to show that the mistake is not the fault of the one copying the quotation.

One famous example of a misspelling comes from a newspaper headline which reads, "Missippi's [sic] literacy program shows improvement." The [sic] is placed immediately after the misspelled state of Mississippi.