fourth
/fɔːθ/
"fourth" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“fourth” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,562. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #1,562
- frequency rank, English
- 2,507
- “F” headwords
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 6
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The ordinal form of the number four.
Corpus desk
Index EN-fourth · fourth · English
fourth · rank #1,562 · 9 variants · 6 confusables
- FREQ-COMMON #1,562
- LEN-LONG 6 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
- VAR-MID 9 variants
- BOOK-MID 2,507
- PHOTO-FINISH forced
Nearest frequency peer: forced (-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.
Frequency neighbourhood for “fourth”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- critical
critical
98,442 corpus weight
- digital
digital
98,441 corpus weight
- forced
forced
98,440 corpus weight
- fourth
fourth
98,439 corpus weight
- fresh
fresh
98,438 corpus weight
- lake
lake
98,437 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “fourth” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | fourth |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /fɔːθ/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #1,562 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 6 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “fourth” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 9 spelling variants around fourth (IPA /fɔːθ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #1,562 among 2,507 “F” headwords. Dominant gloss: "The ordinal form of the number four.".
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for fourth, with forms such as "ffourth", "foruth", and "fourht". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "four", "fort", "forth", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English fourthe, an alteration (due to four) of ferthe, from Old English fēorþa, fēowerþa, from Proto-West Germanic *feurþō, from Proto-Germanic *fedurþô, equivalent to four + -th (ordinal suffix). Cognates Compare West Frisian fjirde,… The correct English form is fourth, spelled F-O-U-R-T-H.
Definition
- 1The ordinal form of the number four.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how fourth appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
The fourth model is called the enlightment model: Actors are seen to be responsible for problems but unable or unwilling to provide solutions. They are believed to need discipline provided by authoritative guidance. The Alcoholic Anonymous^([sic]) groups are considered prototypical for this model.
Finnley is the fourth daughter of Jason and Kylie Kelce, having already welcomed Wyatt, Elliotte and Bennett to the family.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English fourthe, an alteration (due to four) of ferthe, from Old English fēorþa, fēowerþa, from Proto-West Germanic *feurþō, from Proto-Germanic *fedurþô, equivalent to four + -th (ordinal suffix). Cognates Compare West Frisian fjirde, Saterland Frisian fjädde, fjoode, Dutch vierde, German Low German feerde, feerd, German vierte, Danish fjerde, Icelandic fjórði.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- ffourth
- foruth
- fourht
- fourrth
- fourthh
- fourtth
- foutrh
- fuorth
- ofurth
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of fourth - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "fourth", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).
What to do next
You've looked up "fourth". Here's where to go from here.
- "fourth" maps to 6 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "four". View pair
- 9 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
- Usage frequency rank #1,562 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
- Browse more English words in the "F" letter cohort. F–Z browse
- PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.
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.