trettan

Trettan is a term used in some Nordic language contexts to denote the number thirteen in informal speech. It is not a standard form in Swedish, where the cardinal is tretton; in Norwegian and Danish, the standard form is tretten. Trettan is typically found as a dialectal variant or slang rather than in formal writing. Its exact usage and acceptability vary by region and community.

In everyday language, trettan may appear in casual conversation, games, and informal writing among speakers who use or recall the form. It can also surface as a nickname, a title, or a stylistic choice in popular culture when the number 13 carries symbolic significance, such as in age, sports contexts, or superstition. The form is generally considered informal and regional rather than standard.

Linguists classify trettan as a dialectal or colloquial variant of the standard numerals in Nordic languages, and it tends to be overshadowed by the more common forms tretton and tretten. There is no single canonical spelling across all Nordic languages, and trettan may appear in various orthographies depending on local tradition.

See also: tretton, tretten, thirteen.