three sisters
Detailed reference entry for the English word "three-sisters", 13-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Wiktionary, and usage frequency ranked against an open word-frequency list covering the top 100,000 English words. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "three-sisters" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "three-sisters" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.
The verdict
“three sisters” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 13
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) — The combination of maize (corn), pole beans (Phaseolus vulgaris or climbing beans, string beans, etc.), and squash (i.e. pumpkin), especially when planted together in intertwined plantings.
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See how three sisters compares against similar English words.
Browse all word comparisons →| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | three sisters |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 13 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “three sisters” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for three sisters is 13 letters long, classified as a noun. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No misspelling variants are generated for three sisters in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: A calque from an Iroquoian language, compare Mohawk áhsen nikontatenò:sen, Oneida áshʌnaɂtekutahnú·tele, and Onondaga ahsę́ naˀdegųdęhnų́·dæ·ˀ. First attested in 1850 in the context of Iroquoian mythology (see quote below). Use in reference to the plants th… Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is three sisters, spelled T-H-R-E-E- -S-I-S-T-E-R-S, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Definition
- 1The combination of maize (corn), pole beans (Phaseolus vulgaris or climbing beans, string beans, etc.), and squash (i.e. pumpkin), especially when planted together in intertwined plantings.
- 2The spirits or gods of corn, beans, and squash considered collectively.
- 3Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see three, sisters.
Etymology
A calque from an Iroquoian language, compare Mohawk áhsen nikontatenò:sen, Oneida áshʌnaɂtekutahnú·tele, and Onondaga ahsę́ naˀdegųdęhnų́·dæ·ˀ. First attested in 1850 in the context of Iroquoian mythology (see quote below). Use in reference to the plants themselves first attested in the 1890s (see also below).
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
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PlainSpell, “three sisters, English word data” (May 6, 2026). Derived from Wiktionary (kaikki.org, CC BY-SA) and an open word-frequency list. https://plainspell.com/en/word/three-sisters
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Using “three sisters”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is T-H-R-E-E- -S-I-S-T-E-R-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Nearby English words
Other entries that begin with the letter T in our English index: