forth and fourth are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. forth means “from a particular thing or place or position (`forth' is obsolete)”. fourth means “following the third position; number four in a countable series”.
/ˈfɔɹθ/
1.adv.from a particular thing or place or position (`forth' is obsolete)
“ran away from the lion”
2.adv.forward in time or order or degree
“from that time forth”
3.adv.out into view
“came forth from the crowd”
/ˈfɔɹθ/
| forth | fourth | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈfɔɹθ/ | /ˈfɔɹθ/ |
| Said | fawrth | fawrth |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Letters | 5 | 6 |
| Parts of speech | adverb, noun | noun, adjective, adverb |
| Senses | 4 | 5 |
| How common | Common | Common |
| Synonyms | away, off | none recorded |
Full entry for forth · Full entry for fourth · More comparisons
1.n.following the third position; number four in a countable series
2.n.one of four equal parts
“a quarter of a pound”
3.n.the musical interval between one note and another four notes away from it