por
Spanish, preposition/poɾ/
por is spelled P-O-R (3 letters) and appears 10,965 times per million words in written Spanish, the 12th most frequent Spanish word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Por is a Spanish preposition meaning “by” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario) defines it as “Indica el complemento agente en la voz pasiva”.
What does por mean in English?
preposition
- 1
by
La novela Cien años de soledad fue escrita por Gabriel García Márquez.
- 2
for (indicates something given in an exchange)
Lo compré por cincuenta euros.
- 3
through, out, via (indicating movement)
La mujer ve la puesta de sol por la ventana.
- 4
across (indicating movement)
El hombre camina por la calle.
- 5
about
No preguntes por esas cosas.
- 6
due to, because of, for, for the sake of, out of (to express cause or motive)
Él no pudo venir por eso.
- 7
over
por allí
- 8
times, by, multiplied by
ocho por siete
interjection
- 1
why?
"¿A dónde vas?" "A mi casa, ¿por?"
- 2
why do you ask?, why are you asking?
Source: English Wiktionary, Spanish section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How Spanish dictionaries define it
preposition: 1. Indica el complemento agente en la voz pasiva. 2. Indica el lugar donde ocurre el movimiento, por donde se pasa. 3. Indica una parte o lugar concretos. 4. Indica lugar o fecha aproximada.
The definition in the Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario), in Spanish.
Source: Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of por
- x alternative Internet
- ¿por canonical
Source: English Wiktionary and Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce por?
- /poɾ/
- [poɾ]
- /ˈpo/
Sources: English Wiktionary, Spanish Wiktionary (Wikcionario) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to por
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is por in Spanish?
por appears 10,965 times per million words in written Spanish.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).