Meaning & use
three-story house
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A house that has three floors or levels above the ground.
Grammar: The plural is 'three-story houses'. The adjective 'three-story' comes before the noun: 'a three-story house'.
Patterns
- a three-story house
- live in a three-story house
- build a three-story house
They bought a three-story house in the suburbs.
The three-story house had a beautiful view from the top floor.
A three-story house is usually more expensive than a two-story one.
Word forms
| plural | three-story houses |
|---|
Common combinations
- a three-story house
- They live in a three-story house near the park.
- build a three-story house
- The family plans to build a three-story house on the empty lot.
- three-story building
- The office is in a three-story building downtown.
- three-story apartment
- They rented a three-story apartment with a rooftop terrace.
Synonyms and how they differ
- three-floor house
- Three-floor house is less common and can sound awkward; three-story house is the standard term.
- three-level house
- Three-level house is sometimes used but can include basements or split levels, while three-story usually means three full floors above ground.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: three-story house or three-storey? three-story house or three stories?
three-story house vs three-storey
This is the British spelling. In American English, use 'story' for a floor of a building; 'storey' is British.
three-story house vs three stories
Without a hyphen, 'three stories' usually means three tales or narratives, not three floors. The hyphen makes it an adjective.
Practice
Which sentence correctly describes a house with three floors?
Choose one answer.
When used as an adjective before a noun, 'three-story' is hyphenated and 'story' stays singular. Option 0 is missing the hyphen, option 2 uses a plural, and option 3 uses a misspelling.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “three-story house”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.