Practice
Guilty of or guilty for: choose the right preposition
Sign in to saveThe preposition after guilty changes the meaning and the tone. Guilty of is the usual form for an offense or a wrong action. When you mean regret, English often uses feel guilty about or feel guilty for.
Use guilty of for an offense or a wrong action, and choose guilty about or feel guilty for when you describe personal regret.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
I feel guilty about missing the meeting. /aɪ fiːl ˈɡɪlti əˈbaʊt ˈmɪsɪŋ ðə ˈmiːtɪŋ/
The short answer
Say guilty of when you mean that someone committed a wrong act. Say feel guilty about or feel guilty for when you mean personal regret.
The court found the driver guilty of dangerous driving.
Why it works: Guilty of introduces the offense in a legal statement.
4 more examples
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I feel guilty about missing my sister's birthday.
Feel guilty about describes the speaker's regret about a past action.
Not this:I
regret missingmy sister's birthday. What changes: Both sentences describe regret. Feel guilty adds the idea that the speaker feels they did something wrong. -
He felt guilty for leaving early without saying goodbye.
Feel guilty for plus an -ing form can introduce an action that makes someone regretful.
Not this:He
apologized for leavingearly without saying goodbye. What changes: Apologized for describes the action he took afterward. Felt guilty for describes his feeling. -
She was guilty of taking the last cookie without asking.
Guilty of can be used playfully for a small wrong action as well as for a crime.
Not this:She
took the last cookiewithout asking. What changes: The contrast gives the fact. Guilty of presents the action as something she should not have done. -
They felt guilty about the mistake in the report.
Feel guilty about can be followed by a noun phrase that names the situation causing regret.
Not this:They were
worried aboutthe mistake in the report. What changes: Worried about describes concern about the problem. Felt guilty about says that the people feel responsible for it.
Read the full guide
Start by deciding whether you are reporting responsibility for an offense or describing a feeling. For responsibility, use guilty of. For a personal feeling, use feel guilty about something or feel guilty for doing something.
Use guilty of for an offense
Use guilty of when you say that someone committed an offense or did a wrong action. This pattern is common in court reports, but it also works in everyday language. The word after of can be a noun or an -ing form.
The court found the driver guilty of dangerous driving.
Guilty of dangerous driving names the offense. Guilty for dangerous driving does not use the usual preposition for this meaning.
Which preposition follows guilty when a person is accused of lying?
Use of: He was guilty of lying.
Use guilty of beyond legal language
Guilty of is not limited to serious crimes. People can say they are guilty of being late, forgetting a name, or taking the last cookie. The phrase still presents the action as wrong, but the tone may be light or playful.
She was guilty of taking the last cookie without asking.
She took the last cookie states what happened. She was guilty of taking it adds judgment about the action.
How can you admit, in a light tone, that you forgot to reply to an email?
You can say: I am guilty of forgetting to reply.
Use feel guilty about for regret
Use feel guilty about when somebody feels regret about a situation or an action. About can be followed by a noun phrase or an -ing form. This pattern focuses on the person's feeling, not on a legal decision.
I feel guilty about missing my sister's birthday.
I regret missing my sister's birthday gives a similar idea. I feel guilty about it says that the speaker feels they did something wrong.
You are sorry because you missed a friend's call. Which phrase can describe the feeling?
You can say: I feel guilty about missing the call.
Use feel guilty for before an action
Feel guilty for plus an -ing form is also used for personal regret. It is especially useful when you want to name the action clearly. The verb feel makes the meaning emotional, so this is different from guilty of an offense.
He felt guilty for leaving early without saying goodbye.
He was guilty for leaving early is not the clearest choice. Add felt when you mean his personal regret, or use guilty of when you mean an accusation.
Which words can you use when you regret interrupting a colleague?
You can say: I feel guilty for interrupting you.
Choose by meaning before choosing the preposition
Do not choose a preposition from the noun alone. First decide whether the sentence reports a wrong act, a legal finding, or a feeling of regret. Then choose guilty of for the act, feel guilty about for the situation, or feel guilty for doing an action.
They felt guilty about the mistake in the report.
They were guilty of the mistake may sound like an accusation of wrongdoing. They felt guilty about the mistake names their feeling.
A manager accepts personal regret after an error, but nobody is accusing them of a crime. Which pattern fits?
Use feel guilty about the error.
Before you go
Remember this
Use guilty of for an offense or a wrong act: guilty of theft or guilty of lying. Use feel guilty about a situation or action that causes regret. Feel guilty for doing something is also natural when you name the action with an -ing form.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Guilty of or guilty for: choose the right preposition"
Do I say guilty of or guilty for a crime?
Use guilty of before a crime, offense, or wrong act. For example, a court can find a person guilty of theft. Guilty for is not the usual pattern when you mean that somebody committed an offense.
The court found the driver guilty of dangerous driving.
Can guilty of be used for small mistakes?
Yes. Guilty of can be used seriously for an offense or lightly for a small bad choice, such as forgetting to reply or taking the last cookie. The setting and tone tell the listener how serious the speaker intends the statement to be.
The court said that the driver was responsible for dangerous driving.
What is the difference between guilty of and feel guilty about?
Guilty of focuses on the wrong act that someone committed or is accused of committing. Feel guilty about focuses on a person's regret about a situation or action. The first can be legal or accusatory, while the second describes an emotion.
I feel guilty about missing my sister's birthday.
Is feel guilty for doing something correct?
Yes. Feel guilty for plus an -ing form can describe personal regret about an action, such as feeling guilty for leaving early. Feel guilty about is another natural pattern when the cause of the regret is a situation or action.
I regret missing my sister's birthday.
Can guilty about be followed by a noun?
Use feel guilty about before a noun phrase or an -ing form. You can feel guilty about a mistake, a missed birthday, or leaving early. The verb feel is important because it shows that you are describing a personal emotion.
He felt guilty for leaving early without saying goodbye.