Porque, por qué, porqué, and por que: the definitive guide with tricks

Four ways to write something that sounds almost the same: porque, por qué, porqué, and por que. It is probably the most searched spelling doubt in Spanish, and also one of the most noticeable when you get it wrong. The good news: three of the four forms are distinguished with very simple tricks, and the fourth is so uncommon that it is enough to know how to recognize it. Let’s go one by one.

“Por qué”: for asking

Separate and with an accent. It is used in questions and exclamations, both direct and indirect:

• ¿Por qué llegaste tarde?
• No entiendo por qué lo hizo.
• ¡Por qué será tan complicado!

Notice the second example: there are no question marks, but the question is there, hidden inside the sentence (“no entiendo el motivo por el que lo hizo”, I don’t understand the reason why he did it). These indirect questions are the usual trap. The accent on “qué” is the same emphatic accent that appears in “quién”, “cómo”, or “cuándo”, and that we explain in our guide to accentuation in questions and exclamations.

Trick: if you can add “motivo” or “razón” after it (“¿por qué motivo llegaste tarde?”), it is “por qué”.

“Porque”: for answering

Together and without an accent. It introduces the cause or explanation of something:

• Llegué tarde porque perdí el autobús.
• No fui porque no me apetecía.

Trick: if you can replace it with “ya que” or “puesto que” (since / given that), it is “porque”: “Llegué tarde ya que perdí el autobús”. ✓

A simple mnemonic: the question is written separately (por qué) and the answer is written together (porque). Question and answer, separate and together.

“Porqué”: the reason (a noun)

Together and with an accent. It is a noun that means “el motivo” or “la causa” (the reason / the cause), and like any noun it usually takes an article in front of it:

• No me explicó el porqué de su decisión.
• Todo tiene su porqué.
• Los porqués de los niños son infinitos.

Trick: if you can change it to “el motivo”, it is “porqué”: “No me explicó el motivo de su decisión”. ✓ And if it accepts a plural (“los porqués”), there is no doubt: it is the noun.

The most common mistake is using it where “por qué” belongs: “No sé el porqué no vino” is incorrect; the correct form is “No sé por qué no vino” (indirect question) or “No sé el porqué de que no viniera” (noun, although it sounds more formal).

“Por que”: the rare one of the group

Separate and without an accent. It is the least frequent combination and the one that most impresses when you master it. It appears in two situations:

1. Preposition “por” + relative pronoun “que” (you can almost always insert “el/la/los/las”):

• Esta es la razón por que (= por la que) te llamé.
• El motivo por que (= por el que) discutieron es absurdo.

In current Spanish it is much more natural to write “por la que” or “por el que”, so you will rarely need this form.

2. Verbs, nouns, or adjectives that take “por” followed by “que”:

• Nos preocupamos por que no faltara nada. (preocuparse por algo, to worry about something)
• Votaron por que se aplazara la reunión. (votar por algo, to vote for something)

Trick: if between “por” and “que” you can insert “el”, “la”, or “el hecho de” (“nos preocupamos por el hecho de que no faltara nada”), it is “por que”, separate and without an accent.

All four in a single table

Test yourself

Could you complete these sentences? (Answers at the end.)

1. No sé ___ no contesta.
2. No fui a la fiesta ___ estaba cansado.
3. Me preguntó el ___ de mi silencio.
4. Lucharon ___ se hiciera justicia.

The difference between knowing the rule and never getting it wrong is repeated practice. In AprendeTildes you can drill this kind of case with immediate feedback, a few minutes a day — which, as we explain in how to practice Spanish accents online, is the most effective way to fix spelling.

Answers: 1. por qué (indirect question) · 2. porque (cause: “ya que estaba cansado”) · 3. porqué (the reason) · 4. por que (luchar por algo, to fight for something).