# for

> English word · Conjunction · IPA /fɔː(ɹ)/ · frequency rank #9

## Definitions
1. Because.

## Etymology
From Middle English for, from Old English for (“for, because of”), from Proto-Germanic *furi (“for”), from Proto-Indo-European *preh₂-.
Cognate with West Frisian foar (“for”), Dutch voor (“for”), German für (“for”), Danish for (“for”), Swedish för (“for”), Norwegian for (“for”), Icelandic fyrir (“for”), Latin per (“by, through, for, by means of”) and Romance language descendants (e.g. Spanish por (“for”)), Ancient Greek περί (perí, “for, about, toward”), Lithuanian per (“by, through, during”), Slovak pre (“for”), Sanskrit परि (pári, “over, around”).

## Easily confused with
- **fu** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/for-vs-fu)
- **FS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/for-vs-fs)
- **FP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/for-vs-fp)
- **FW** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/for-vs-fw)
- **fy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/for-vs-fy)
- **fun** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/for-vs-fun)
- **fox** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/for-vs-fox)
- **fur** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/for-vs-fur)
- **fry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/for-vs-fry)
- **FYI** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/for-vs-fyi)
- **fro** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/for-vs-fro)
- **FTC** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/for-vs-ftc)
- **FSA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/for-vs-fsa)
- **fra** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/for-vs-fra)
- **FTP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/for-vs-ftp)
- **FTA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/for-vs-fta)
- **FSB** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/for-vs-fsb)
- **FTW** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/for-vs-ftw)
- **foy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/for-vs-foy)
- **FTL** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/for-vs-ftl)

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