The most commonly used one is "third time's a charm". I googled it and couldn't find "three time's a charm" in usage. So is "three time's a charm" considered incorrect?
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3I've never heard 'three times a charm' and it seems like a confusion of the actual adage– BladorthinTheGreyCommented Aug 4, 2017 at 12:08
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2I believe that the proverbial usage is actually "Third time's the charm.".– Jeff ZeitlinCommented Aug 4, 2017 at 12:20
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1Interesting. In my area of the US (NYC Metro), I don't think I've ever heard "third time lucky" - always TTtC.– Jeff ZeitlinCommented Aug 4, 2017 at 13:17
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1@Jim The apostrophe is probably meant as a contraction of "three time is a charm", which just serves to highlight the wrongness of it.– Max WilliamsCommented Aug 4, 2017 at 14:40
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1@MaxWilliams - Yes, my point exactly.– JimCommented Aug 4, 2017 at 15:21
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1 Answer
The correct expression is:
the third time is the charm
US
—used to say that two efforts at something have already failed but perhaps the third will be successful
You will also find third time's the charm and third time's a charm versions of the same.
I've never heard three time's a charm and I believe the inability to find any significant evidence of its usage is indicative.
Note:
According to The Phrase Finder:
the American expression 'third time's a charm' [...] may be an [sic] variant of the earlier 'third time lucky' or it may have arisen independently in the USA.
answered Aug 4, 2017 at 13:26
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Probably because "three times a charm" doesn't make sense. Maybe they'd been listening to The Commodores - "You're once...twice...three times a lady..." Commented Aug 4, 2017 at 13:47
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@MaxWilliams I think they meant "three times is a/the charm". Which does make sense, but isn't used either (or at least not enough to appear on Ngram viewer). Commented Aug 4, 2017 at 13:54