TKG English Learner's Dictionary

per

perpreposition

American /pɝ/? British /pɜː/
very commondefining vocabulary

  1. for eachfor each one of; for every

    • The fee is ten dollars per person.
    • The speed limit is sixty miles per hour.
    • We were paid twenty dollars per hour.
    • The room costs one hundred fifty dollars per night.

    Collocations

    phrase per hour, per person, per day, per year, miles per hour

    Compare each (each can follow the amount (ten dollars each) or go before the noun (each person); per always goes before the unit (per person))

  2. according toin the way stated by

    formal

    • As per your request, we've attached the file.
    • Per the instructions, turn left at the light.

    Collocations

    phrase as per, per your request, per the instructions

    Synonyms according to

Usage

Sense 2 belongs mainly to formal and business writing; in everyday speech according to is more natural: according to the instructions rather than per the instructions.

Common mistakes

The speed limit is sixty miles per an hour. The speed limit is sixty miles per hour.
Per is followed by a bare singular noun, with no article.

For translators

Grammar trap Per is followed directly by a singular noun with no article: per hour, not per an hour.