por qué

[poɾ ˈke]

/[poɾ ˈke]/ phrase

The verdict

“por qué” is uncommon Spanish (outside the top frequency list), classed as a phrase. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency Spanish
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Pregunta por la razón, motivo, origen o causa.

Corpus desk

Index ES-por-que · por qué · Spanish

por qué · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "P" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for por qué
PropertyValue
Headwordpor qué
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechPhrase
IPA[poɾ ˈke]
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Cola larga: rango de “por qué” en español

por quéestá más allá de las 100.000 formas más frecuentes del español, en la cola de léxico especializado o poco usado donde la duda ortográfica aprieta.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

por qué is uncommon Spanish outside the top frequency list, classed as aphrase, transcribed [poɾ ˈke]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Pregunta por la razón, motivo, origen o causa.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for por qué in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct Spanish form is por qué, spelled P-O-R- -Q-U-É.

Definition

  1. 1
    Pregunta por la razón, motivo, origen o causa.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "por qué"?
"por qué" is spelled P-O-R- -Q-U-É. The IPA pronunciation is [poɾ ˈke].
What does "por qué" mean?
As a phrase, "por qué" means: Pregunta por la razón, motivo, origen o causa.
How do you pronounce "por qué"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "por qué" is [poɾ ˈke]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "por qué" come from?
"por qué" is a Spanish word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list