threefold
"threefold" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“threefold” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #42,449 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #42,449
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 14
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Three times as great.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | threefold |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #42,449 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “threefold” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for threefold is 9 letters long, classified as an adjective. Corpus data places it at rank #42,449 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for threefold, with forms such as "htreefold", "therefold", and "thhreefold". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "threshold", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English threfold, from Old English þrīfeald. Equivalent to three + -fold. The correct English form is threefold, spelled T-H-R-E-E-F-O-L-D.
Definition
- 1Three times as great.
- 2Triple.
Etymology
From Middle English threfold, from Old English þrīfeald. Equivalent to three + -fold.
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: htreefold,therefold,thhreefold,threeffold,threeflod,threefodl,threefoldd,threefolld,threeofld,threfeold,threfold,thrreefold,trheefold,tthreefold
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of threefold - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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
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Using “threefold”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is T-H-R-E-E-F-O-L-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Don't mix it up with “threshold” - see the side-by-side comparison. threefold vs threshold
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.