fore and four are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. fore means “front part of a vessel or aircraft”. four means “the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one”. four is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈfɔɹ/
1.n.front part of a vessel or aircraft
“he pointed the bow of the boat toward the finish line”
2.adj.situated at or toward the bow of a vessel
3.adv.near or toward the bow of a ship or cockpit of a plane
“the captain went fore (or forward) to check the instruments”
/ˈfɔɹ/
| fore | four | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈfɔɹ/ | /ˈfɔɹ/ |
| Said | fawr | fawr |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Letters | 4 | 4 |
| Parts of speech | noun, adjective, adverb | noun, adjective |
| Senses | 3 | 3 |
| How common | Familiar | Core |
| Synonyms | bow, prow, stem | 4, IV, tetrad |
Full entry for fore · Full entry for four · More comparisons
1.n.the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
2.n.a playing card or domino or die whose upward face shows four pips
3.adj.being one more than three