Which to use
“they” is a pronoun and “three” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #35
- “they” frequency rank
- #164
- “three” frequency rank
- 199
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | they | three |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A group of entities previously mentioned. | A numerical value after two and before four. Represented in Arabic digits as 3; this many dots (•••). |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set they and three apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: they is /ˈðeɪ̯/ while three is /θɹiː/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (pronoun vs num), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 199, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
they is recorded at frequency rank #35, classified as apron, pronounced /ˈðeɪ̯/. three is at rank #164, tagged as anum, pronounced /θɹiː/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 199, this pair ranks #529,733 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of they vs three
Shared letters: eht. Private to "they": y. Private to "three": r.
"they" · 4 letters · shape CCVV · "three" · 5 letters · shape CCCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "they" and "three" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "they" or "three"?
Remembering they vs three
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a pronoun, it's “they”; for a num, it's “three”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “they” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable