The fortnight meaning is simple: a fortnight is a period of two weeks, or fourteen days in a row. If your exams start "in a fortnight," they start two weeks from now.
The word is everyday English in Britain, Ireland, India, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, where you hear it in offices, schools and on payslips. Americans understand it, though to their ears it sounds stiff or dated, and most of them just say "two weeks."
Entry at a glance
Meaning
Two weeks; fourteen days and nightsPart of speech
Noun; plural fortnightsPronunciation
FORT-nyte (the gh is silent)Word forms
fortnightly (adjective and adverb)Origin
Old English feowertyne niht, "fourteen nights"Close words
two weeks, half a month (roughly)Register
Neutral in British and Commonwealth English; formal-sounding in the US
How long is a fortnight, exactly?
The fortnight definition is exact: fourteen days. That differs from half a month, which is fifteen or sixteen days in most months. So if a fortnight starts on a Wednesday, it ends on the Tuesday two weeks later, and the next one begins the following Wednesday.
- 1 fortnight = 2 weeks = 14 days
- A year has 26 fortnights, plus one or two spare days
- Half a fortnight is one week
Fortnight in sentences
- Our project review happens once a fortnight, on alternate Fridays.
- She is away for a fortnight visiting her grandparents in Shimla.
- The library lets you borrow books for a fortnight before renewing.
- We met a fortnight ago at your cousin's wedding.
- The new menu launches a fortnight from today.
Fortnightly, biweekly and semimonthly
Fortnightly means once every two weeks: a fortnightly magazine, fortnightly meetings, paid fortnightly. It is the clearest word for this idea, which is why people in countries that use it rarely mix things up.
| Word | Meaning | Pay periods in a year |
|---|---|---|
| fortnightly | every two weeks | 26 |
| biweekly | usually every two weeks, but sometimes twice a week | 26 (in the pay sense) |
| semimonthly | twice a month, such as the 1st and 15th | 24 |
| semiweekly | twice a week | 104 |
Because biweekly can be read two ways, careful writers in schedules and contracts often prefer "every two weeks" or "fortnightly." Allowances paid on such a cycle connect to words like stipend and per diem.
Fortnight meaning in British and US English
In British, Australian and Indian English, the word sits comfortably in daily speech: "I'll be back in a fortnight," "a fortnight's holiday," "the second fortnight of June." British speakers also use phrases such as Monday fortnight or this day fortnight, meaning two weeks from that Monday or from today.
In the US, the word appears mostly in formal writing and older books. Americans will understand you, but "two weeks" sounds more natural there. Indian offices often talk about a fortnightly report or a fortnight's notice.
Why we count it in nights
The meaning of fortnight is hidden in its spelling. The word is a shortened form of Middle English fourteniht, from Old English feowertyne niht, fourteen nights. Early Germanic peoples were known for counting time by nights rather than days, a habit noted by the Roman historian Tacitus. English once had a matching word for a week, sennight (seven nights), which has dropped out of use, while fortnight survived.
Common slips to avoid
- Spelling: it is fortnight, not "fourtnight" or "fort night."
- Possessive: write a fortnight's leave, with an apostrophe, just like a week's leave.
- Not a month: a fortnight is never fifteen days, even though some people loosely say "half a month."
- Not related to forts: the first part comes from the number four, not from a fortress.
For more everyday time and work words, browse our everyday vocabulary list, including sabbatical for much longer breaks.
Frequently asked questions
What does a fortnight mean in days?
It means fourteen days. A fortnight from Monday the 3rd is Monday the 17th.
Is a fortnight two weeks or fifteen days?
Two weeks, which is fourteen days. Fifteen days is closer to half a month, which is a different idea.
What does fortnightly mean?
Fortnightly means happening once every two weeks. A fortnightly salary is paid 26 times a year.
Do Americans use the word fortnight?
Rarely in daily talk. They understand it, but most say two weeks or every other week instead.
How do you pronounce fortnight?
FORT-nyte. The first part sounds like fort and the second like night.
What is the plural of fortnight?
Fortnights, as in "The project took three fortnights," though most people would just say six weeks.