whereas
where·as/wɛəɹˈaz/conjunction, noun
whereas is spelled W-H-E-R-E-A-S, 2 syllables: where·as. The wrong spelling people search most is wheras: about 40 Bing searches a month in the United States (September 2025 to August 2026), about 1 in 25 of all searches for the word. Whereas is a conjunction meaning “In contrast; whilst on the contrary; although”.
How many letters and syllables are in whereas?
| Letters | 7: W-H-E-R-E-A-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: where·as |
| In writing | 26 times per million words; the 3,558th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | 2; the most searched, wheras, about 40 Bing searches a month (all of them) |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; 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).
How do you spell whereas?
Whereas is spelled W-H-E-R-E-A-S. 2 wrong spellings are searched or written often enough to measure; together they are about 1 in 20 of the searches for whereas in either form.
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). Wrong spellings are taken from Wiktionary entries tagged "misspelling" and its obsolete or nonstandard forms, Wikipedia's Lists of common misspellings and the codespell dictionary, then measured. The proofreader's marks show the change that corrects each one.
How common is whereas?
Whereas appears 26 times per million words in written English, the 3,558th 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 whereas?
- UK /wɛəɹˈaz/
- UK /wəˈɹaz/
- UK /ˈwɛɹəz/
Whereas has 2 syllables, split where·as in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-whereas.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of whereas
- whereäs rare
- whereases plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does whereas mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
conjunction
- 1
In contrast; whilst on the contrary; although.
He came first in the race, whereas his brother came last.
- 2
It being the fact that; inasmuch as. (Often used to begin recitals; sometimes emboldened or emphasized as a signifier.)
noun
- 1
A clause, as in legal documents, stating whereas.
conjunction
- 1
rareRare spelling of whereas.
adverb
- 1
obsoleteWhere (that).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Whereas in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | tandis que, alors que , compte tenu de, vu que, vu |
| German | wohingegen, wogegen, während , wobei, dieweil |
| Portuguese | enquanto, ao passo que , sendo que, considerando que, dado que , cláusula |
| Spanish | mientras que (locution) , siendo que, por cuanto, visto que, ya que, dado que |
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 whereas come from?
From where + as (“that”); first attested in the meaning of "where" in the 14th century. Compare thereas.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).