wherefore
where·fore/ˈweɹˌfɔɹ/noun
wherefore is spelled W-H-E-R-E-F-O-R-E: 9 letters and 2 syllables (where·fore). It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,459th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, wherefore means “An intent or purpose; a why” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of wherefore is wherefores.
How many letters and syllables are in wherefore?
| Letters | 9: W-H-E-R-E-F-O-R-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: where·fore |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 37,459th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is wherefore?
Wherefore appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,459th 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 wherefore?
- UK /ˈwɛəˌfɔː/
- US /ˈweɹˌfɔɹ/
- /ˈʍɜːɹˌfɔːɹ/
Wherefore has 2 syllables, split where·fore in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-wherefore.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of wherefore
- wherefor
- wherfore
- wherefores plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does wherefore mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An intent or purpose; a why.
adverb
- 1
archaicWhy, for what reason, because of what.
- 2
archaicTherefore; thus.
conjunction
- 1
archaicBecause of which.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Wherefore in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense because of which:
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 wherefore come from?
From Middle English wherfor, wherfore, hwarfore, equivalent to where- (“what”) + for. Compare Dutch waarvoor (“what for, wherefore”), German wofür (“for what, what for, why”), Danish and Norwegian hvorfor (“wherefore, why”), Swedish varför (“wherefore, why”). More at where, for.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).