A lot people are not sure whether to spell numbers right but Fourty or Forty causes confusion because forty is the only correct spelling of 40 in real-life and exams worldwide.
With my background as a teacher, this lesson appears in every educational article and learning site answering queries. The British and American version idea is a misconception; in reality, that belief is a fallacy. Regardless of region, students learn the difference when they compare vs forms and see which spelling is common, typical, and correct in compound uses like fourty-two, fourty-four, and fourty-five.
I have seen this error for nearly years, from fortieth, 40th, 40s, and forties to the wrong fourties, much like flies and flys. While helping an artist fix an illustration that was hand-draw and ready for print, Lillie spotted it near twenty, making me decide to teach this tricky detail because spelling shapes meaning and credibility.
Quick Answer: Fourty or Forty?
If you need the short version, here it is.
The correct spelling is forty.
The spelling fourty is incorrect and isn’t accepted in any form of standard English.
A quick way to remember it:
You lose the “u” when you turn 40.
It sticks because it’s simple, visual and easy to recall.
Why the Confusion Between Fourty and Forty Exists
This mix-up feels understandable once you look at how English normally behaves. When a base word contains certain letters, you expect them to stay there as the word expands into new forms. Yet “forty” breaks the pattern.
Several reasons fuel this confusion:
- The base number four keeps the “u”.
- Words derived from “four” usually keep the “u”: fourth, fourfold, fourteen.
- English learners rely on visual patterns which often mislead them here.
- Phonetics make “fourty” sound correct because you naturally pronounce the “u”.
Patterns shape your expectations which makes deviations stick out like a sore thumb. That’s why “fourty” feels right even though it isn’t.
The Linguistic History Behind “Forty”
Understanding why forty appears the way it does means traveling back into older versions of English. The word didn’t evolve by accident. It followed a path shaped by sound changes, standardization and shifting spelling rules.
Old English Roots of “Forty”
The original Old English term for forty was “féowertig”. You can see how different it looks.
- “féower” → four
- “tig” → ten
- “féowertig” → four tens
Old English spelling didn’t always behave like modern English. Pronunciation mattered far more than appearance. Over time, sounds softened, letters dropped out and consistency took a back seat.
Middle English Simplification
As English moved into its Middle English period, “féowertig” slowly shifted toward a simpler pronunciation. The “u” sound weakened in certain number words which caused scribes to drop the letter entirely.
By the 1200s, the spelling appeared in forms like:
- “forti”
- “fortye”
- “fortiȝ”
None of these spellings included the “u”.
This mattered because Middle English scribes helped standardize spelling. They chose forms that represented the way people spoke at the time. That pronunciation didn’t include the “u” sound.
Modern English and Phonetic Shifts
The final standardized spelling forty emerged because the spoken form no longer used the long “u” sound. English grew more phonetic in certain periods which pushed spellings to match pronunciation.
Even though the base word four kept the “u”, the number word forty had already settled into its shorter, simplified form.
That’s why we now have this strange mismatch:
| Word | Spelling | Notes |
| Four | keeps “u” | Base number |
| Fourteen | keeps “u” | Pattern preserved |
| Fourth | keeps “u” | Pattern preserved |
| Forty | drops “u” | Historical simplification |
This inconsistency isn’t an error. It’s a preserved piece of linguistic history.
Why “Fourty” Became a Common Mistake
Even though fourty has never been correct, many people slip up and use it. Here’s why the mistake remains so widespread.
Pattern Expectation
Your brain wants to simplify patterns. When you see:
- four
- fourteen
- fourth
- fourfold
…it expects “fourty”.
This is a natural cognitive bias called analogy-based reasoning. Your mind compares new words to familiar ones then adjusts them. Unfortunately, English doesn’t always reward that kind of logic.
Sound-Alike Influence
When spoken, “forty” still sounds like it contains the “u”. The vowel sound blends smoothly in speech which tricks learners into thinking the letter belongs in the written form.
This happens with other English words as well:
- “definitely” often becomes “definately”
- “separate” becomes “seperate”
- “ninety” never becomes “ninty” even though it sounds like it should
Humans lean on sound when spelling which sometimes leads straight into mistakes.
Digital Age Reinforcement
Autocorrect doesn’t always catch the error because:
- Some older or region-specific systems didn’t flag “fourty”
- Poorly trained predictive tools accept misspellings based on user input
- Users often ignore suggested corrections
When enough people repeat a mistake online, it begins to look legitimate.
Fourty vs Forty: Clear Comparison
To make the distinction unmistakable, here’s a quick and direct comparison.
| Feature | Forty | Fourty |
| Correct spelling | ✔ Yes | ✘ No |
| Accepted in dictionaries | ✔ Yes | ✘ None |
| Used in education | ✔ Yes | ✘ No |
| Used in formal writing | ✔ Yes | ✘ No |
| Regional variant? | ✘ None | ✘ None |
| Professional usage | ✔ Required | ✘ Incorrect |
If you write fourty, every established spelling resource will flag it as an error.
Dictionary Consensus
Every major dictionary lists forty as the sole correct spelling:
- Merriam-Webster
- Oxford English Dictionary
- Cambridge Dictionary
- Dictionary.com
- Collins English Dictionary
Not one of them includes fourty as a variant.
Regional Usage Check
Sometimes English words differ by region like color/colour or favorite/favourite. Yet this word isn’t part of that group.
No English-speaking country uses “fourty” as a standard spelling.
That includes:
- United States
- United Kingdom
- Canada
- Australia
- New Zealand
- South Africa
- Ireland
The spelling is universal: forty.
Professional and Academic Standards
Using “fourty” in professional writing creates problems quickly. It signals a lack of proofreading and it may weaken credibility in:
- academic essays
- resumes
- legal documents
- official reports
- marketing material
Spell-check tools highlight “fourty” because it fails across all modern language standards.
Practical Examples: Using Forty Correctly
Seeing a word in context helps solidify the correct spelling in your mind. Below are real-world examples where “forty” appears naturally.
Correct Examples Using “Forty”
- She saved forty dollars for her weekend trip.
- The team completed forty projects this quarter.
- He celebrated his fortieth birthday with a surprise party.
- The recipe needs forty minutes of baking time.
- Their office sits forty miles outside the city.
Incorrect Examples Using “Fourty”
- She saved fourty dollars for her weekend trip.
- The team completed fourty projects this quarter.
- He celebrated his fourtieth birthday with a surprise party.
Even if you’ve seen “fourty” used online, it’s always incorrect.
How to Remember the Correct Spelling
This section delivers memory tricks that make the correct spelling stick.
Simple Memory Rules
Use these when you can’t recall which form is right.
- You lose the “u” when you hit 40.
- Forty has forty letters? No, but it’s the shortest spelled number.
- Forty is 40 because it’s four tens even without the U.
- Think: “Forty is formed from phonetics not four.”
These tricks build quick associations that stick.
Visual Memory Aids
A few mental images help lock in the right form:
- Picture the number 40 dropping the “u” like a weight.
- Visualize “four” branching into “fourteen” then imagine “forty” breaking off as the shorter cousin.
- Imagine a big red “X” on the word fourty.
Your brain remembers images more easily than rules.
Checklist for Avoiding Common Errors
Whenever you write the word, ask yourself:
- Does it refer to the number 40?
- Does the spelling match dictionary standards?
- Does the word contain the letter “u”?
- If yes, then fix it.
Tiny habits reduce long-term mistakes.
Using “Forty” Confidently in Writing
Good writing depends on using numbers properly whether you’re describing ages, quantities, prices or distances.
Grammar Rules for Spelling Out Numbers
Different style guides approach number formatting differently.
Here’s a quick table comparing major style rules:
| Style Guide | When to Spell Out “Forty” | Notes |
| APA | Spell out numbers under 10 | Use numerals for 40 unless at sentence start |
| MLA | Spell out numbers that can be written in one or two words | “Forty” is acceptable |
| Chicago | Spell out numbers from zero to one hundred | Always use “forty” in text |
| AP | Spell out numbers under 10 | Use numerals for 40 unless starting a sentence |
If you follow Chicago style, you’ll use “forty” frequently because it spells out all numbers from zero through one hundred.
Common Situations Where People Misuse the Word
Certain settings cause more mistakes than others.
- Writing ages
- Creating social media posts in a hurry
- Crafting product descriptions
- Sending text messages
- Typing fast without proofreading
Speed almost always increases error rates.
Quick Practice Test
Try these sentences. Decide whether you should write “40” or “forty”.
- She baked for ___ minutes.
- The class donated ___ books to charity.
- They reached the finish line in ___ seconds.
- ___ students attended the workshop.
- His grandmother turned ___ last week.
Answers
- forty
- forty
- forty
- Forty
- forty
The more you see the correct spelling, the faster it becomes automatic.
Read More: High Quality or High-Quality: The Complete Guide
Why “Forty” Looks Shorter Than It Should
One interesting detail surprises many learners. Forty is the only number between 1 and 100 that doesn’t follow its base word closely in spelling.
Look at these patterns:
- five → fifty
- three → thirty
- eight → eighty
- four → forty (exception)
Most number transformations involve a predictable shift or sound change. However “forty” breaks the usual pattern because its historical roots differ from the modern spelling of “four”.
Many linguists believe “four” changed later than “forty” which left the two with mismatched spellings.
Related Language Questions Readers Often Ask
While trying to understand why fourty or forty causes confusion, people often wonder about other number spelling quirks.
Here are a few:
Why does “fourteen” keep the “u” but “forty” doesn’t?
Because “fourteen” evolved later and kept more of its base spelling pattern. “Forty” had already been simplified phonetically before that.
Why does “ninety” drop the “e” from nine?
“Ninety” comes from Old English “nigontig” which never included the modern “e”. The base word changed not the number form.
Is “fourty” ever used in old literature?
No major historical texts use “fourty” as a standardized spelling. You may find occasional misspellings in personal letters which reflect individual writing habits, not accepted usage.
FAQs:
Is “fourty” ever correct?
No. It has never been recognized as a correct spelling in any English dialect.
Does any English-speaking country use “fourty”?
None. The spelling “forty” is standard globally.
Why is “forty” spelled without a “u”?
It comes from Middle English forms that dropped the “u” as pronunciation shifted. The spelling survived through linguistic standardization.
Why do people still write “fourty”?
Habit, pattern expectation and sound-based assumptions. Most mistakes come from assuming visual consistency.
Does autocorrect recognize “fourty”?
Modern systems catch it although older systems didn’t always flag it. That’s one reason the error spread online.
Is “fortieth” spelled the same way?
Yes. “Fortieth” also drops the “u”.
Conclusion:
In daily writing, spelling mistakes can look small but they often change how people judge your work. The mix-up between fourty and forty happens because many people rely on sound instead of rules. Once you know that forty is the only correct spelling of 40, the confusion fades. This awareness helps in schoolwork, exams, forms, and professional writing where accuracy matters.
Over time, I’ve noticed that readers trust content more when basic spelling is right. Learning the correct form is not about memorizing a trick, but about understanding usage and applying it consistently. When you write forty with confidence, your sentences feel clearer, more polished, and more credible across real-world situations.
Benjamin Harris is a passionate writer and grammar enthusiast who loves helping people write clearly and confidently. Through Grammar Heist, he shares tips, tricks, and easy-to-follow guides to make writing simpler and more fun.
