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Why vs. Because

becauserelative adverbssubordinating conjunctionswhy

'Why' and 'because' are mainly confused when it comes to their usage and meaning. In this lesson, we will learn their uses and differences.

"Why" vs. "Because" in the English grammar

What Is Their Main Difference?

The main difference between 'why' and 'because' is that 'why' is used to ask about the reason and 'because'
is used to introduce the reason.

Usage

When we want to show the reason why something happens, we can use 'why' or 'because.'

'Because' is mainly used to answer the questions that are asked by 'why.'

A : Why did you run away?

B : Because he looked scary.

We can also use 'that is why' instead of 'because' as showed in the dialogue below:

A : Why did you just stand there?

B : I was shocked that is why I just stood there

As you can see in the example above, 'that is why' is used before the result and not before the reason.
We can also use 'why' after the noun 'reason' to express reason and result.

The reason why I renamed my dog was that his name was stupid.

The reason why I didn't answer my phone was that I was busy.

Parts of Speech

'Why' can be used as an interrogative adverb or relative adverb. 'Because,' however, is used as a conjunction.

Why did he suspect me?

I cried because I have been under so much pressure.

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