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PlainSpell

for

/fɔɹ/conjunction, preposition, particle

for is spelled F-O-R: 3 letters and one syllable. It appears 10,233 times per million words in written English, the 9th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “for vs fore” about 140 times a month (Google, United States). As a conjunction, for means “Because” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in for?

Letters3: F-O-R
Syllables1 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing10,233 times per million words; the 9th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Pairs people search
Sounds like
Rhymes with
Same letters

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is for?

For appears 10,233 times per million words in written English, the 9th most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce for?

  • UK /fɔː/
  • US /fɔɹ/
  • Australia /foː/

For has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Pvanp7-for.wav, En-us-for.ogg, En-au-for.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Words people confuse with for

Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).

for vs fore140 G
for vs four0 B

Sounds like: faugh, faw, fore (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).

Also written: fa.

Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).

What rhymes with for?

The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as for from its last stressed vowel (/ɔɹ/):

Spelled with the same letters in another order: fro, orf.

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of for

  • fa
  • fo
  • foh
  • fo'
  • fur
  • fuh
  • fer
  • fore-

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does for mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

conjunction

  1. 1

    Because.

    I had to stay with my wicked stepmother, for I had nowhere else to go.

preposition

  1. 1

    Towards; in the direction of.

    The astronauts headed for the moon.

  2. 2

    Leading towards in time or circumstance.

    We're heading for bankruptcy.

  3. 3

    Directed at; intended to belong to.

    I have something for you.

  4. 4

    In order to help, benefit, gratify, honor etc. (someone or something).

    Everything I do, I do for you.

  5. 5

    Befitting of someone’s beliefs, needs, wants, skills, or tastes; best suited to.

    I’ll strike a blow for you.

  6. 6

    To be used or treated in a stated way, or with a stated purpose or meaning.

    This is a new bell for my bicycle.

  7. 7

    Supporting, in favour of.

    All those for the motion, raise your hands.

  8. 8

    Because of.

    He wouldn't apologize; and just for that, she refused to help him.

noun

as FOR
  1. 1

    Initialism of field Of research.

  2. 2

    Initialism of frame of reference.

particle

  1. 1

    datedTo; (the particle for marking the following verb as an infinitive).

    She say that when nigger people step out o’ they place and start for rub shoulders with Bacra, trouble just ‘round the corner.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

For in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchparce que, car (because), pour, vers (towards), depuis (over (a period of time))
Germanda, weil, denn (because), zu, nach (towards), für (directed at, intended to belong to)
Portugueseporque (because), a, para (towards), a favor de (supporting), por causa de, por (because of)
Spanishpues, como, puesto que, por cuanto, supuesto que, presupuesto que (because)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does for come from?

Inherited from Middle English for, from Old English for (“for, because of”), from Proto-Germanic *furi (“for”), from Proto-Indo-European *preh₂-.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after for