# why vs why's

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### why
*adverb · IPA /wæ/ · frequency rank #125*
For what cause, reason, or purpose.

### why's
*contraction · frequency rank #28,792*
Contraction of why + is.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/why-vs-why-s