thirteen

[ thur-teen ]

noun

1. a cardinal number, 10 plus 3.
2. a symbol for this number, as 13 or XIII.
3. a set of this many persons or things.

adjective

1. amounting to 13 in number.

thirteen

/ ˈθɜːˈtiːn /

noun

1. the cardinal number that is the sum of ten and three and is a prime number See also number
2. a numeral, 13, XIII, etc, representing this number
3. the amount or quantity that is three more than ten; baker's dozen
4. something represented by, representing, or consisting of 13 units

determiner

1. 1. amounting to thirteen

      thirteen buses

   2. ( as pronoun )

      thirteen of them fell

Word History and Origins

Origin of thirteen¹

before 900; late Middle English thirttene, variant of Middle English thrittene, Old English thrēotēne; cognate with Dutch dertien, German dreizehn, Old Norse threttān. See three, -teen

Word History and Origins

Origin of thirteen¹

Old English threotēne; see three , -teen

Example Sentences

Through archival footage, Brown recounts seeing his mother suffer physical abuse from his stepfather, recalling that from ages seven to thirteen, he was “visually abused” by these traumatic scenes, often too scared to intervene.

From Salon

Together with colleagues at the Department of Thematic Studies -- Environmental Change, Alexander Olsson has interviewed thirteen politicians and officials in Stockholm to hear their reasoning about the opportunities and risks.

From Science Daily

“All that matters is what you did. You’re lucky you’re twelve. If you were thirteen, they probably would’ve bumped you up to a higher court to make an example out of you.”

From Literature

The researchers compared thirteen models for assessing the impact of land-use change and climate change on four distinct biodiversity metrics, as well as on nine ecosystem services.

From Science Daily

The ruined village of Vaux changed hands thirteen times in March, but for the moment, Fort Vaux itself remained in French hands.

From Literature

How Do You Spell 13?

Spelling tips for 13

The word thirteen (13) is hard to spell because it doesn’t simply combine the spelling of the base number (three) with the suffix -teen, as is done in other easy-to-remember spellings like fourteen and sixteen.  

How to spell thirteen: When three is combined with suffixes, it transforms from three (a cardinal number) to third (an ordinal number). Then, the d is dropped: thirteen (not thirdteen); thirty (not thirdty). Remember: there’s no d in thirteen.