Fore or four?
fore is a prefix meaning “Before: the root is happening earlier in time”; four is a number meaning “A numerical value equal to 4; the number following three and preceding five”. In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) four is about 102 times as common as fore.
What is the difference between fore and four?
| fore | four | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | prefix, adjective, interjection, noun, adverb, preposition | number, noun |
| Meaning | Before: the root is happening earlier in time The early stage of the root time period Used to indicate error, exclusion, or inadequacy; Alternative form of for- | A numerical value equal to 4; the number following three and preceding five Describing a set or group with four elements The digit or figure 4; an occurrence thereof |
| Example | foreshadow | There are four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter |
| Forms | foremost | fower, fouh |
| Pronunciation | /fɔː/ /fɔɹ/ /foːɹ/ | /foɹ/ [foːɾ] [fɔː] |
| In writing | 3.3 times per million words | 339 times per million words |
Sources: fore and four in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of fore and four
fore
- 1
Before: the root is happening earlier in time
foreshadow
- 2
Used to indicate error, exclusion, or inadequacy; Alternative form of for-
forelay
- 3
Alternative form of for-: outside, out
foreclose
- 4
Forward; situated towards the front (of something)
- 5
An exclamation yelled to inform players a ball is moving in their direction
- 6
The front; the forward part of something; the foreground
- 7
In the part that precedes or goes first; opposed to aft, after, back, behind, etc
- 8
A people of Papua New Guinea
four
- 1
A numerical value equal to 4; the number following three and preceding five
There are four seasons: spring, summer, autumn and winter
- 2
The digit or figure 4; an occurrence thereof
- 3
Describing a set or group with four elements
- 4
Anything measuring four units, as length
Do you have any more fours? I want to make this a little taller
- 5
Four o'clock
- 6
A person who is four years old
I'll take the threes, fours and fives and go to the playground
- 7
An event in which the batsmen run four times between the wickets or, more often, a batsman hits a ball which bounces on the ground before passing over a boundary, resulting in an award of 4 runs for…
- 8
A power forward
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, fore or four?
fore appears 3.3 times per million words; four 339 times per million words.
fore 3.3 times per million wordsfour 339 times per million words
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).