threefoldvsthresholdConfusable pair

Quick tell: threefold is a adjective, threshold is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“threefold” is an adjective and “threshold” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#42,449
“threefold” frequency rank
#6,845
“threshold” frequency rank
49294
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature threefold threshold
Definition Three times as great. The lowermost part of a doorway that one crosses to enter; a sill.

Letter map: threefold vs threshold

Shared letters muted; letters that set threefold and threshold apart highlighted. Shared run: 7.

9 ch
threefold
9 ch
threshold

Role in the sentence - threefold and threshold

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: threefold is anadjective and thresholdanoun. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49294, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

threefold is recorded at frequency rank #42,449, classified as anadj. threshold is at rank #6,845, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈθɹeʃəʊld/.

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 49294, this pair ranks #185,020 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of threefold vs threshold

Shared letters: dehlort. Private to "threefold": f. Private to "threshold": s.

"threefold" · 9 letters · shape CCCVVCVCC  ·  "threshold" · 9 letters · shape CCCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • threefoldhtreefold · therefold · thhreefold · threeffold · threeflod · threefodl · threefoldd · threefolld
  • thresholdhtreshold · thershold · thhreshold · threhsold · threshhold · threshlod · threshodl · thresholdd

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "threefold" and "threshold" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "threefold" is an adjective and "threshold" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "threefold" or "threshold"?
"threshold" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,845 in our English list, against #42,449 for "threefold". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pair "threefold" vs "threshold" is on the table, pick a follow-up below.

  • Full dictionary entry for "threefold" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "threshold" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #185,020 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #185,020 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list