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Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
I’m sure you’ve heard people say “Solution For” and “Solution To”, used in different situations. But which one should we choose? And when? What’s the rule?More specifically, we want to know what is the correct form: to say “Solution For” or “Solution To” a problem? Let’s find out.In general, both “Solution For” and “Solution To” can be correct. But in this example, specifically, that includes the word “problem” the correct one is “Solution To”. Here, the idea is that the solution belongs to the problem, so we should use “Solution to” a problem, and not “Solution For”.Let’s see some examples, before digging deeper into the two forms and making sense of them:I’m sure there’s a solution to the problem.Janet couldn’t find the solution to the problem.Is there a solution for Bryan’s problem?“Solution For” has a less common use. You see it in the third sentence, referring to Brian’s problem, not any general random problem. That is what makes an exception, where the preposition “for” can be correctly used.However, every time we see a problem being mentioned by itself, “Solution To” is the form we should use to address it.Solution For a Problem“Solution For” can be used in some cases, but shouldn’t usually be used to discuss a problem. Every problem has a solution to it, and consequently “to” should be the preposition of choice in those cases. We can find a solution to a problem for someone, for example.Let’s see what “Solution For” looks like in a sentence:Does anyone in the class have a solution for number eight?I need to find a solution to the problem for my boss.Think about it: there has to be a solution for this.The solution for Anna is to break up and move on.We should be searching for a solution to the problem.There are some cases (not many, actually) where you can use “Solution For”. Usually, it involves a subject (like Anna, in our examples).Anna’s sentence suggests a solution for her, and not to her, because Anna isn’t the problem – she’s the person with a problem to solve, which is different. In that sentence the solution is for Anna, and although there’s a problem to solve it’s not front and center.This is clear in sentence number 2, where a solution to a problem must be found for the boss (who’s paying for the solution to the problem to be found, and expected answers).Another example is “searching for a solution”. In this case, the preposition “for” complements the verb “search” and not the word problem.For illustration purposes, let’s try to remove “for” from the sentence: “we should be searching a solution to the problem.” It doesn’t work, right? That’s because the verb “search” needs the complement and should appear as “search for”.Solution To a ProblemEvery problem has a solution. We can say that the solution we’re looking for belongs to that particular problem. That’s why “to” should be the preposition of choice when referring to a problem, making “Solution To” the correct form to use
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