fourfold

Name: fourfold, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈfɔːfəʊld/

//ˈfɔːfəʊld// adj

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“fourfold” is uncommon English (frequency #56,754 among 18,613 “F” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#56,754
frequency rank, English: 18,613
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Four times as great; quadruple.

Key facts for fourfold
Property	Value
Headword	fourfold
Language	English
Part of speech	Adjective
IPA	/ˈfɔːfəʊld/
Letters	8
Frequency rank	#56,754
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “fourfold” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). fourfold lands here:

#56,754

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

fourfold is uncommon English at frequency #56,754 among 18,613 “F” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈfɔːfəʊld/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for fourfold in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English fourfold, fourefold, from Old English fēowerfeald. Equivalent to four + -fold. Cognate with Dutch viervoud, Gothic 𐍆𐌹𐌳𐌿𐍂𐍆𐌰𐌻𐌸𐍃 (fidurfalþs). The correct English form is fourfold, spelled F-O-U-R-F-O-L-D.

Definition

1
Four times as great; quadruple.
2
Comprised of four individual members.

Etymology

From Middle English fourfold, fourefold, from Old English fēowerfeald. Equivalent to four + -fold. Cognate with Dutch viervoud, Gothic 𐍆𐌹𐌳𐌿𐍂𐍆𐌰𐌻𐌸𐍃 (fidurfalþs).

Synonyms

quadruple quadruplicate

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 "fourfold"?

"fourfold" is spelled F-O-U-R-F-O-L-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɔːfəʊld/.

What does "fourfold" mean?

As an adjective, "fourfold" means: Four times as great; quadruple.

How do you pronounce "fourfold"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fourfold" is /ˈfɔːfəʊld/. 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 "fourfold"?

From Middle English fourfold, fourefold, from Old English fēowerfeald. Equivalent to four + -fold. Cognate with Dutch viervoud, Gothic 𐍆𐌹𐌳𐌿𐍂𐍆𐌰𐌻𐌸𐍃 (fidurfalþs). 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.

Using “fourfold”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is F-O-U-R-F-O-L-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈfɔːfəʊld/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.