por que

phrase

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency Portuguese
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - introduz orações interrogativas; por que razão, por que motivo

Corpus desk

Index PT-por-que · por que · Portuguese

por que · 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 que
PropertyValue
Headwordpor que
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechPhrase
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Cauda longa: rank de “por que” em português

por quefica fora das 100.000 palavras portuguesas mais frequentes, na cauda longa de vocabulário técnico, arcaico ou raro, onde a dúvida ortográfica aperta.

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

Rare enough to double-check

por que is uncommon Portuguese outside the top frequency list, classed as aphrase. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for por que in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct Portuguese form is por que, spelled P-O-R- -Q-U-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    introduz orações interrogativas; por que razão, por que motivo
  2. 2
    introduz orações subordinadas finais; para que, a fim de que, por que tal

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how por que appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Por que está chorando?
  2. Rezava por que fosse poupada a vida do seu filho.

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 que"?
"por que" is spelled P-O-R- -Q-U-E.
What does "por que" mean?
As a phrase, "por que" means: introduz orações interrogativas; por que razão, por que motivo
What language does "por que" come from?
"por que" is a Portuguese word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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