Porque vs Por qué vs Porqué vs Por que – Because vs Why

Use porque (one word) to introduce a cause or reason; it translates as "because" and is followed by a clause that explains why something happened. Think of porque as linking an effect to its cause.

Use por qué (two words) to ask about the reason for something; it appears in questions and in indirect questions and translates as "why". Por qué separates the preposition por from the question word qué.

Use porqué (one word with accent) as a noun meaning "reason" or "motive"; it is often preceded by a definite article like el and can be replaced by "motivo". Think of el porqué as "the reason" rather than a question.

Use por que (two words without accent) in more formal contexts when por is followed by a relative pronoun que or when they can be replaced by para que; it sometimes appears in legal or literary language. You can test por que by trying to insert para and see if the sentence still makes sense.

In short, use porque to give reasons, por qué to ask reasons, porqué as a noun meaning "reason", and por que when por precedes a relative que or in fixed expressions. Paying attention to these small differences will make your writing clearer and more precise.

Each of the four forms appears in distinct contexts: use porque for answers, por qué for questions, porqué as a noun, and por que when required by sentence structure. Practice switching them in sample sentences to internalize the differences.