4rd or 4th, which is correct?
Compare it Versus > Grammar > 4rd or 4th? Which is the correct way to spell “fourth”?
| How do you write this, 4rd or 4th? The correct way to write it is 4th. Read on to find out more about the meaning and spelling of fourth (4th) in the English language. |
Meaning of 4th or fourth
In linguistics, 4th or fourth is an ordinal numeral generally used to signify the order or position of something.
In our case, 4th, it means position 4 or simply, fourth place. This means there are 3 individuals ahead in the case of a race. Or, it may be the fourth time something is occurring. Or the fourth day in a particular month or week.
Let us use 4th in a sentence:
Pierre finished in fourth place in the marathon.
This means that Pierre finished the race in the 4th place with three runners ahead of him.
Examples of ordinal numerals are first (1st), seventh (7th), twenty second (22nd) and so on.
Other examples of fourth in a sentence:
- I was fourth in my geography course competition
- Serbia was 4th in the Basketball World Cup
- You are the 4th person to ask me this today
Note that none of the above are written as 4rd as this is incorrect.
How do I write fourth correctly – 4th or 4rd?
Fourth is an important ordinal number. Let’s learn to spell it the right way.
The correct spelling of this word is 4th.
4rd is incorrect. If someone writes third using “rd”, they will still mean the same but it is incorrect to spell it this way.
Remember to use the ending “th” when writing fourth.
Sound it out – 4rd and 4th
Let’s speak the two versions of fourth out loud to find out which is the correct way.
This is always a good way to remember.
4th – kind of sounds like four-th. Simple and clear.
4rd – four-rd, four-d, ford? These are all clearly incorrect.
Do you make errors when you spell fourth or other ordinal numerals?
Or do you have any tips to remember how to remember to write it correctly? Let us know!
Also let us know if there is any other confusing English grammar words or ordinals you would like us to include.
Leave your opinions for “4rd vs 4th” in the comments section below.
References
- Wikipedia Ordinal Numbers web page, accessed in November 2022, link to ordinal numerals
- Britannica online web page, accessed in May 2022, link to Britannica