When writing numbers why is Forty the accepted way to write this number

[Bretrick]

Why is it not written as fourty?
Who makes these rules?

 

[timoc]

I havent gorra cloo hoo maykes the rools, Bret, wot duzz it matter?

 

[January]

well thirty isnt written as threety either or fifty as fivety or twenty as twoty

 

[VaughanJB]

I'll tell you why. We have to have a way of knowing whether someone has even a little education. So we lay these little traps to catch out the slackers.

 

[jujube]

And yet, it's fourteen not forteen.

It's because someone has his tongue around his eye tooth and he can't see a thing he says.

 

[Tommy]

. . . and don't even think about pondering the logic behind eleven or twelve.

 

[IrishEyes]

I've seen the "New Math" chart thingie giddity bob and I will not be questioning any way we learned from here on in.

 

[horseless carriage]

Ah the English language, makes you wonder why so many non-English speakers want to learn it when you get examples like colonel and pronounce it cernal. An actor might take his cue, as would someone playing billiards or snooker, but when I am in line it's spelling changes to queue. Go figure.
Tomorrow is Wednesday but who doesn't say Wensday? That disgusting residue that I spat into a tissue this morning is known as phlegm, we English speakers couldn't simply have a common or garden word like flem, no, no, no. We have a Latin word that is derived from the Greek word: phlégma.
Psychologically we wouldn't spell a word starting with the letter 'P' and then not pronounce it, would we? There again who would put the letter 'b' in a word only to ignore it, or is that too subtle?

 

[Michael Z]

Just don’t write it as Fordy. I’m a Chevy man.

 

[BJintheUK]

To enlighten you all about how utterly easy (not) our language is, see below.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The bandage was wound around the wound
The farm was used to produce produce
The dump was so full it had to refuse more refuse
He could lead if he got the lead out
The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert
There is no time like the present, so he thought it was time to present his present
A bass was painted onto the head of a bass drum
When shot at the dove dove into the bushes
I did not object to the object
The insurance was invalid for the invalid
The oarsmen had a row about how to row
They were too close to the door to close it
I polish the Polish furniture then polish off all the sweets

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I'm sure there are many more where these came from, but I can't find them at present.

 

[Pepper]

Love your questions and your ponderings
@Bretrick
Such fun thoughts you have!

 

[OldFeller]

The more important question is Why do we even need to spell out numbers?

Forty is spelled without a "u" because it evolved from Old English, where it was originally spelled as "feowertig."
Well that just makes sense, right?
Over time, as English spelling became standardized, the spelling "forty" became accepted, while "fourty" was phased out despite its historical usage.

When you write the numerical word for 40, it’s “forty,” but when it comes to the next nine numbers after it, you need to hyphenate them. So, it’s forty-one, forty-two, forty-three, forty-four, and so on.

 

[gruntlabor]

To enlighten you all about how utterly easy (not) our language is, see below.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The bandage was wound around the wound
The farm was used to produce produce
The dump was so full it had to refuse more refuse
He could lead if he got the lead out
The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert
There is no time like the present, so he thought it was time to present his present
A bass was painted onto the head of a bass drum
When shot at the dove dove into the bushes
I did not object to the object
The insurance was invalid for the invalid
The oarsmen had a row about how to row
They were too close to the door to close it
I polish the Polish furniture then polish off all the sweets

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm sure there are many more where these came from, but I can't find them at present.

A perch in a tree? Impossible!

 

[Nathan]

So, what about the Firth of Forth? Did they mean fifth, but merely malformed the second "F" and instead looks like an "R". But, what would the "fifth of forth"(fourth?) even be? What's a firth?

 

[jujube]

So, what about the Firth of Forth? Did they mean fifth, but merely malformed the second "F" and instead looks like an "R". But, what would the "fifth of forth"(fourth?) even be? What's a firth?

Well, it was firth. It wasn't thecond, after all, or threed.... one has to give credit where credit is due.