<p>This paper presents a new fourth-order nonlinear difference method to solve the fourth-order nonlinear generalized Burgers-type equation, which is a fundamental model in nonlinear science and has wide-ranging applications in fluid mechanics. The study aims to enhance the spatial convergence rates compared to existing second-order methods. The first step is to create a coupled nonlinear system using the reducing order method. Subsequently, the spatial discretization is handled by introducing the nonlinear fourth-order difference operator and compact difference operator, while the temporal derivatives are discretized using the third-order backward differentiation formula (BDF3). The solvability and convergence of the proposed scheme are shown by utilizing the cut-off function (COF) method and the energy method. Finally, numerical experiments validate the accuracy and efficiency of the theoretical findings.</p>