forty

/ˈfɔːti/

//ˈfɔːti// num

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"forty" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“forty” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,130. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,130
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The cardinal number occurring after thirty-nine and before forty-one, represented in Roman numerals as XL and in Arabic numerals as 40.

Corpus desk

Index EN-forty · forty · English

forty · rank #5,130 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,130
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH flip

Nearest frequency peer: flip (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “forty”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “forty” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

forty vs fry
60% similar
forty vs foy
60% similar
forty vs fury
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for forty
PropertyValue
Headwordforty
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNumeral
IPA/ˈfɔːti/
Letters5
Frequency rank#5,130
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “forty”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).fortylands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “flip” (#5,129), “generous” (#5,131), “flesh” (#5,128). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “forty” is #5,130. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around forty (IPA /ˈfɔːti/), anumeral. Corpus frequency is #5,130 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Dominant gloss: "The cardinal number occurring after thirty-nine and before forty-one, represented in Roman numerals as XL and in Arabic numerals as 40.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for forty, with forms such as "fforty", "forrty", and "fortty". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "fry", "foy", "fury", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English fourti, feortiȝ, from Old English fēowertiġ, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *fedwōr tigiwiz (“forty”). By surface analysis, four + -ty. The correct English form is forty, spelled F-O-R-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The cardinal number occurring after thirty-nine and before forty-one, represented in Roman numerals as XL and in Arabic numerals as 40.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how forty appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. 'Tis forty years this very day, Since you and I, old girl, were married.

Etymology

From Middle English fourti, feortiȝ, from Old English fēowertiġ, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *fedwōr tigiwiz (“forty”). By surface analysis, four + -ty.

This word in other languages

cuarenta(Español)quarante(Français)vierzig(Deutsch)quarenta(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • fforty
  • forrty
  • fortty
  • fortyy
  • foryt
  • fotry
  • froty
  • ofrty

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of forty - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

fforty1forrty1fortty1fortyy1foryt2fotry2froty2ofrty2
Edit distance from "forty"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "forty"?
"forty" is spelled F-O-R-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɔːti/.
What does "forty" mean?
As a numeral, "forty" means: The cardinal number occurring after thirty-nine and before forty-one, represented in Roman numerals as XL and in Arabic numerals as 40.
What words are commonly confused with "forty"?
"forty" is commonly confused with "fry", "foy", "fury". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "forty"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "forty" is /ˈfɔːti/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "forty"?
From Middle English fourti, feortiȝ, from Old English fēowertiġ, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *fedwōr tigiwiz (“forty”). By surface analysis, four + -ty. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "forty", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

flesh#5,128hated#5,133laser#5,140loyal#5,141

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

eighth8 variantspatch8 variantssorts8 variantsAlaska8 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list