three times

USAGE SUMMARY

"three times" is correct and usable in written English.
It is commonly used to indicate the number of repetitions of an action. For example, "I read the book three times."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

54 human-written examples

Three times.

Stanford University

Three times she miscarried.

The New York Times

"Three times," he said.

The New York Times - Sports

Maybe three times".

The New Yorker

(She'd sift three times).

The New Yorker

I came three times.

The New Yorker

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

6 human-written examples

Line three: time.

WikiHow

"Ten times?" "Ten times is enough.

The New Yorker

Three, four, five times.

The New York Times - Tech

Ten times?

Stanford University

"One or two times.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "three times" when you want to clearly and directly state the number of repetitions or occurrences of an event or action. It's universally understood and suitable for almost any context.

Common error

Avoid using "third time's the charm" literally to mean something happens exactly "three times". This idiom implies that an attempt will be successful after two failures, not just any "three times" something occurs.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "three times" functions as an adverbial phrase of frequency, modifying a verb by specifying how often an action occurs. Ludwig AI confirms its correct and usable status. Examples show it quantifying repetitions in various contexts.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

43%

Wiki

22%

Academia

10%

Less common in

Science

10%

Formal & Business

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "three times" is a grammatically sound and widely used adverbial phrase, indicating the frequency of an action or event. As Ludwig AI confirms, it's suitable for various contexts, from news and media to academic writing and everyday conversation. Its function is to provide clear, numerical quantification of repetitions. While alternatives such as "thrice" or "on three occasions" exist, "three times" remains the most straightforward and universally understood option. Remember to use it literally and avoid confusing it with the idiom "third time's the charm".

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

three instances

Simpler, more direct way of expressing the concept.

repeatedly, three times

Emphasizes the repetition, adding "repeatedly" for extra stress.

on three different occasions

Similar to "on three occasions" but specifies the difference between each instance.

on three occasions

Replaces "times" with "occasions", emphasizing specific instances.

three separate instances

Highlights the distinct nature of each occurrence.

a total of three times

Emphasizes the cumulative number of occurrences.

thrice

Uses an archaic term for "three times", suitable for formal or literary contexts.

in triplicate

Implies making three identical copies or instances.

a trio of times

Uses "trio" to represent the number three, adding a stylistic flair.

threefold

Expresses a quantity or effect that is three times as great or as numerous.

FAQs

How do I use "three times" in a sentence?

Use "three times" to indicate the frequency or number of repetitions of an action or event. For example, "I called him "three times" yesterday."

What can I say instead of "three times"?

Depending on the context, you can use alternatives like "on three occasions", "thrice", or "in triplicate".

Is it correct to say "three times over"?

Yes, "three times over" is correct and often used to emphasize that something exceeds a certain limit or expectation. For example, "The budget was exceeded "three times over"".

What does it mean when someone says "third time's the charm"?

The phrase "third time's the charm" doesn't literally mean something happens "three times". It's an idiom suggesting that an attempt will finally be successful after two previous failures.