"four times", "five times" etc.

"twice" is not formal at all.


it is 4 me

Really? Where are you from?

<<Hey, don't knock "thrice"! I favor the revival of this word - it's so much more concise and elegant than "three times".>>

I couldn't agree more, Lazar. It sounds *way* better than the demotic "three times". However, I hardly ever dare use it in public. :-)

I prefer "three times" because it's more readily understood and has the same meaning. Saving a syllable isn't worth the sacrifice for me, except perhaps in poetry. ;)

- Kef

"Twice" is formal? Wow, I'm formal! Maybe I'll be invited the Cannes film festival or the Oscars...

Twice is not formal, not dying out, and not in any danger of being replaced in the US. And quince is a fruit.

Well, is it formaL OR NOT?

The British National Corpus (BNC) has these results (the score are per one million words)

twice

REGISTER

SPOKEN-646
FICTION-1,183
NEWS-1,127
ACADEMIC-573
NONFIC MISC-761
OTHER MISC-1,796

---------

two times


REGISTER

SPOKEN-23
FICTION-7
NEWS-7
ACADEMIC-4
NONFIC MISC-5
OTHER MISC-10

''The British National Corpus (BNC)''

I could care less for the British corpora.

<''The British National Corpus (BNC)''

I could care less for the British corpora. >

Really? Why is that?