Okay, so this morning, I’m just scrolling through some stuff online, right? Totally minding my own business. Then BAM! I see someone typed “therteen” instead of “thirteen” in this post. Got me thinking… seriously, how DO you spell 13 correctly? It seems so simple, but obviously, people trip up.
The Spark That Set Me Off
It started small. That typo bugged me more than it should have. Like, this shouldn’t be rocket science. But instead of just moving on like a normal person, my brain went down a rabbit hole. I started noticing other weird spellings floating around:
- “thirrteen” (seriously, double ‘r’?)
- “thriteen” (nope, missing the ‘ee’)
- And even “13teen” (c’mon, just write the number at that point!)
It was messing with my head. So, I decided right then: Let’s figure this out once and for all.
My Super Basic Investigation Plan
No fancy tools needed here. I kept it dead simple:
1. Old Reliable: The Dictionary. Grabbed the big chunky one off the shelf, the one I use as a doorstop sometimes. Flipped to the T section. Boom. “thirteen”. Plain as day. One ‘r’, two ‘e’s.
2. Double-Checking Myself Online. Yeah, yeah, I know. But you gotta be thorough. Looked up several different dictionary websites. Every. Single. One. Confirmed it: t-h-i-r-t-e-e-n. No debate.
3. The Age-Old Trick: Breaking It Down. How does it actually sound? “Thir-teen.” Not “thir-rr-teen” or “thir-tain.” The “thir” part is solid, like the start of “third.” And the “teen” part sounds exactly like it looks – “teen” as in teenager. That separation made it click.
Stumbling Block? More Like a Tiny Pebble.
Honestly, the hardest part wasn’t finding the right answer. It was seeing just how many people get it wrong in real life! Checked a few social posts again after my research. Yup, still saw “therteen” popping up. Why is that? My guess? Maybe “fourteen” has that ‘ur’ sound (“four”), confusing people into thinking “thirteen” has it too? Or maybe fingers just slip on the keyboard. Either way, it highlighted why I did this little check.
The Final Verdict (It’s Obvious)
Look, this wasn’t splitting the atom. But it was satisfying to put a super common question to bed with 100% certainty. Here’s the takeaway drilled into my head now:
The only correct way to spell 13 is: T-H-I-R-T-E-E-N.
One ‘r’. Two ‘e’s. Always. Doesn’t matter what autocorrect tries to tell you later. Doesn’t matter how someone else typed it online. That’s it. Done.
So What Did I Actually Learn?
Even things that seem brain-dead simple can trip people up (me included sometimes!). Taking five minutes to actually verify something basic – instead of just assuming – saves confusion later. It felt kinda dumb starting this quest, but honestly? Now I know for damn sure, and that silly typo won’t ever bug me the same way again. Plus, if anyone ever asks me “Hey, how do you spell thirteen?” I can just point them straight here. Instant answer, no fluff.