Correct spelling, explanation: the number forty had already appeared in Germanic languages and then in Old English. However, it was in Middle English when the word started to look similar to the modern version as it had the form fourti. It is worth noticing that the letter -u has disappeared from the word over the centuries and today the correct form is forty.
Definition of forty:
1. number – the cardinal number that appears between thirty-nine and forty-one;
Next month Jack’s going to turn forty and we want to prepare a surprise party for him.
Idioms and expressions with forty:
Some interesting idioms and expressions include:
1. forty winks – a short nap during the day;
I like having forty winks after dinner.
2. forty-niner – a person who was looking for gold during the gold rush in 1849 in California;
He was a famous forty-niner who found a huge amount of gold.
Incorrect spelling, explanation: one of the most common spelling mistakes in English is to write the cardinal number forty as fourty. It is no wonder as the number four is actually spelled with the -u letter. As a result, even native speakers of English are surprised that forty lacks the -u letter.
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Oh, this was an exceptionally superb correction! Spending some time and real effort to create a very good English guide, but what else can I say… I’ll rest now and complete my project today as I tend to hesitate a whole lot and never manage to get anything done before deadline.
English is a topic which is close to me. Many thanks!
And obviously that is the correct version, we have fixed that, sorry for the confusion. We have no idea what error made it appear the other way around. Thank you for your comment!
But the dictionary says Forty is correct.