“The motion censor triggered the lights.”
Confusables Entry 97 / 1011 60-second read
Censor vs. Sensor
To suppress speech versus a device that detects input.
The comparisoni
“The motion sensor triggered the lights.”
More examplesii
01
The temperature censor is reading too high.
The temperature sensor is reading too high.
02
The TV station had to sensor the profanity.
The TV station had to censor the profanity.
The ruleiii
¶
CENSOR = to suppress or remove objectionable content.
They sound very similar, and in tech/IoT contexts, 'sensor' is ubiquitous, leading to spelling confusion.
Memory aidiv
Remember it like this
A Sensor Sen-ses things. A Censor C-ontrols content.