Forty or Fourty: Spell It Right Like the Guru You Are

 

 

Forty or fourty? Which spelling is correct?

 

That's the million-dollar question.

 

I know, math isn’t everybody’s cup o’ tea. Relax, this isn’t math; it’s about the correct spelling of a word that has been used since the days of yore. 

 

Before we get the answer, which one have you been using?

 

Either way, you aren’t alone. A lot of people have been getting the spelling wrong. 

 

It’s understandable, especially since four is spelled as, well, four, and so forty should be fourty. Right? 

 

Get your dictionaries out, and find which spelling you should use.

 

 

Forty or Fourty: Tracing the Roots

 

You know how when you are enjoying this fantastic movie on Netflix, and they flashback you, well, this is it. A little over a millennium ago (Spongebob’s narrator’s voice), far back to the Old English era in the 10th century. 

 

The versions that were in use back then were the likes of feoertig, feofertig, feortih, feouertig, feowerteg, feowwertig, fiowertig, and fweowertigum. Yea, believe it or not, those were actual words in use back then. 

 

That makes you wonder, how would someone say they have forty thousand bucks?

 

The Old English - early Middle English era (1100 - 1250) saw other variations such as feortig, feowerti, fæouhærti, feoweti, feowertih, forweti, vourti, and a bunch of others.

 

Another level of change came in during the Middle English era in the 15th century that saw variations such as fuerti, forty, fourte, forty, furry, uourti, forti, fourtie, and fowrtie. The 18th and 19th century dawned on the use of fourtie, fourty, forty, footy, and fowerti in the 1900s. 

 

As you can see, the modern spelling is traceable to the 1800s and 1900s. That’s when the ‘u’ mysteriously disappeared.  

 

The Great English Vowel Shift

 

A significant change has preceded every major occurrence in human history. 

 

 

Courtesy: Stephen Hopkins

 

 

The Great Vowel Shift (GVS) was a significant change in the pronunciation of the English language. It occurred between 1300 and 1700, the same time that The Renaissance, Reformation, and English Civil War occurred. These events influenced how people spoke English as they learned about new ideas and languages from other countries.

 

The GVS was caused by what linguists call a "chain shift." That is, there were several changes to how long vowels were pronounced, but those changes began with one vowel sound changing its pronunciation to another vowel sound. Then that new pronunciation spread through all words using that first vowel. This chain reaction continued until all other terms using those vowels changed pronunciation.

 

The GVS changed English spelling but not English grammar or vocabulary. Even though some words are spelled differently now than before the GVS, their meanings don't differ from their original meanings.

 

You can track the various changes by referring to the above variations of forty over the years. While the word changed, the meaning stayed the same. 

 

The Great Misconception

 

Did you know you can prepare an egg in seven different ways?

 

Yea, I know. That blew off my socks as well. Seven alternative egg dishes; scrambled, omelet, poached, and so on. 

 

Well, that doesn't apply here. 

 

 

 

 

There’s a common misconception that the word ‘fourty’ is an alternative spelling to ‘forty.’ That couldn't be further away from the truth. 

 

Understandably, the spelling of ‘four’ and ‘fourteen’ have a ‘u’ somewhere. It’d be logical to include the same ‘u’ in forty. That’s not your fault.

 

Often, British English varies from American English, or most English in most countries, in terms of spelling and pronunciations. That's because British English soaked up and retained many words and spellings from other languages, primarily German and French. On the other hand, American English bases its spellings on how words sound during pronunciation. 

 

Check out some variations you can blame for misspelling or replacing ‘forty’ with ‘fourty.’

 

American English British English

Color   Colour

Odor   Odour

Honor   Honour

Habor   Harbour 

Flavor   Flavour 

 

You can see where this is going.

 

Unfortunately, this trend has made many people assume that the word ‘fourty’ is a British spelling. 

 

It’s not any spelling for any language unless you’ve decided to board a time machine and go back to the 1700s. 

 

Is There a Place for ‘Fourty’ in Modern Spelling? 

 

 

 

 

Before we get around to answering this mind-boggling question, here is something else to ponder on first. 

 

The first residential air conditioning unit was installed in 1914. The unit was humongous that it needed an extra room on its own. Not to mention it consumed crazy amounts of power and had a short lifespan. 

 

Do you think such a unit has any place today, apart from a museum?

 

Similarly, the word ‘fourty’ has no place in modern spelling. The term doesn't belong to any modern dialect and is therefore incorrect to use and apply in any speaking environment. Don’t use it even when expressive you have 40 bucks. 

 

How to Remember to Spell It Right

 

Numerous hacks help people remember the important stuff, such as using mnemonics when learning.

 

Unfortunately, spelling correctly isn't instinctive, and there aren't hacks or DIY tricks to help you remember. If there are, they aren’t recorded yet. There’s no way around it. By the end of the day, it's something you have to master and remember, regardless of your English difficulty level. 

 

 

 

 

The best way is to create your trick to remember the correct spelling. Start playing monopoly (it has forty squares), mark it on your calendar, or put a reminder on your phone.

 

Do whatever it takes to avoid getting the spelling wrong. 

 

Famous Instances of the Use of ‘Fourty’

 

The incorrect use of ‘fourty’ is more common than you think, in written and online. Here is some incorrect use of the wrong spelling:

 

Fourty years ago, when the mayor of Elkhorn was Bill Bartley... members - Empire Advance.

 

Fourty-nine stocks depreciated in price during the week, lower than the 58 of the preceding week - Vanguard.

 

Female grey whales are fighting for their life. Fourty-three female whales are breeding in the group in 2015, a big increase from the 27 female whales in 2004 - Nature World News.

 

Fourty-five percent of Australians strongly agreed with the value proposition and two percent strongly disagreed - Renewable Energy World.

 

It’s Just One of the Many

 

Now you know the correct spelling of 40 is ‘forty,’ not ‘fourty.’ This is just one example of the many English words in modern spelling that baffle many people. But if history and language evolution have a say, ‘fourty’ might come back in use again. However, before then, you should stick to ‘forty.’

 

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Photo by Sorina Bindea on Unsplash. Thank you Sorina!