* Ordinal number: When it indicates position in a sequence (e.g., "the third day of the week").
* Adjective: When it modifies a noun (e.g., "the third time is the charm").
* Noun: When it refers to the number itself (e.g., "a third of the students").
Let me know if you have a specific sentence in mind, and I can tell you exactly what part of speech "third" is in that sentence!