threesome

/ˈθɹiː.səm/

//ˈθɹiː.səm// noun

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

"threesome" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“threesome” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,972. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,972
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A group of three people or things.

Corpus desk

Index EN-threesome · threesome · English

threesome · rank #18,972 · 13 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #18,972
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH thematic

Nearest frequency peer: thematic (-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 “threesome”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “threesome” 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).

threesome vs tiresome
78% similar

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

Key facts for threesome
PropertyValue
Headwordthreesome
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈθɹiː.səm/
Letters9
Frequency rank#18,972
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “threesome”

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).threesomelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “thematic” (#18,971), “tilted” (#18,974), “temperate” (#18,969). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “threesome” is #18,972. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around threesome (IPA /ˈθɹiː.səm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #18,972 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for threesome, with forms such as "htreesome", "theresome", and "thhreesome". 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, "tiresome", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From three + -some. The correct English form is threesome, spelled T-H-R-E-E-S-O-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A group of three people or things.
  2. 2
    An instance of sexual activity involving three people.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Threesomes are huge right now. They're the blow job of the '90s.
  2. ‘Tell me everything,’ she said to Losse, and when she’d heard everything, got the colleague who kept suggesting a threesome discreetly demoted.

Etymology

From three + -some.

This word in other languages

trío(Español)trio(Français)Dreier(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • htreesome
  • theresome
  • thhreesome
  • threeosme
  • threesmoe
  • threesoem
  • threesomme
  • threessome
  • threseome
  • thresome
  • thrreesome
  • trheesome
  • tthreesome

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of threesome - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

htreesome2theresome2thhreesome1threeosme2threesmoe2threesoem2threesomme1threessome1
Edit distance from "threesome"

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 "threesome"?
"threesome" is spelled T-H-R-E-E-S-O-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈθɹiː.səm/.
What does "threesome" mean?
As a noun, "threesome" means: A group of three people or things.
What words are commonly confused with "threesome"?
"threesome" is commonly confused with "tiresome". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "threesome"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "threesome" is /ˈθɹiː.səm/. 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 "threesome"?
From three + -some. 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 "threesome", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

temperate#18,969turquoise#18,977surveying#18,965unfolding#18,983

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

untreated13 variantsusefulness13 variantsscarcely13 variantswrongful13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list