thirteen

/ˌθɜːˈtiːn/

//ˌθɜːˈtiːn// num

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"thirteen" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“thirteen” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,494. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,494
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The cardinal number occurring after twelve and before fourteen: ten and three.

Corpus desk

Index EN-thirteen · thirteen · English

thirteen · rank #8,494 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,494
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH tens

Nearest frequency peer: tens (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “thirteen”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “thirteen” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

thirteen vs thirties
75% similar
thirteen vs thirteenth
80% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for thirteen
PropertyValue
Headwordthirteen
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNumeral
IPA/ˌθɜːˈtiːn/
Letters8
Frequency rank#8,494
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “thirteen”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).thirteenlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “tens” (#8,493), “tomb” (#8,495), “TD” (#8,492). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “thirteen” is #8,494. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around thirteen (IPA /ˌθɜːˈtiːn/), anumeral. Corpus frequency is #8,494 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Dominant gloss: "The cardinal number occurring after twelve and before fourteen: ten and three.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for thirteen, with forms such as "htirteen", "thhirteen", and "thireten". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "thirties", "thirteenth", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English thirttene, variant (through metathesis) of thrittene, from Old English þrēotīene, from Proto-Germanic *þritehun, compound of *þrīz (“three”) + *tehun (“teen”). Cognate with West Frisian trettjin, Dutch dertien, German dreizehn, Danish tr… The correct English form is thirteen, spelled T-H-I-R-T-E-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The cardinal number occurring after twelve and before fourteen: ten and three.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how thirteen appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. There are thirteen cards of each of the four suits in a deck of playing cards.
  2. His brother's age is thirteen.

Etymology

From Middle English thirttene, variant (through metathesis) of thrittene, from Old English þrēotīene, from Proto-Germanic *þritehun, compound of *þrīz (“three”) + *tehun (“teen”). Cognate with West Frisian trettjin, Dutch dertien, German dreizehn, Danish tretten. Equivalent to three + -teen.

This word in other languages

trece(Español)treize(Français)dreizehn(Deutsch)treze(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • htirteen
  • thhirteen
  • thireten
  • thirrteen
  • thirteenn
  • thirten
  • thirtene
  • thirtteen
  • thitreen
  • thriteen
  • tihrteen
  • tthirteen

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of thirteen - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

htirteen2thhirteen1thireten2thirrteen1thirteenn1thirten1thirtene2thirtteen1
Edit distance from "thirteen"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "thirteen"?
"thirteen" is spelled T-H-I-R-T-E-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌθɜːˈtiːn/.
What does "thirteen" mean?
As a numeral, "thirteen" means: The cardinal number occurring after twelve and before fourteen: ten and three.
What words are commonly confused with "thirteen"?
"thirteen" is commonly confused with "thirties", "thirteenth". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "thirteen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "thirteen" is /ˌθɜːˈtiːn/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "thirteen"?
From Middle English thirttene, variant (through metathesis) of thrittene, from Old English þrēotīene, from Proto-Germanic *þritehun, compound of *þrīz (“three”) + *tehun (“teen”). Cognate with West Frisian trettjin, Dutch dertien, German dreizehn,... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "thirteen", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

umbrella#8,500corridor#8,529credited#8,531Ferguson#8,538

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

sharply12 variantscommitting12 variantsObamaCare12 variantsgeometry12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list