Skälet

Skälet is a Swedish noun in its definite singular form meaning the reason or motive behind an action, decision, or situation. It is used to identify the justification or explanation that explains why something happened or why a particular stance is taken. In everyday language, skälet often implies a rational basis or justification that can be communicated to others.

In usage, skälet can be used with phrases such as det är skälet till … (that is the reason for …) or skälet till varför … (the reason why …). It is common in both spoken and written Swedish, especially when clarifying a decision or defending a course of action. Skälet is closely related to but distinct from other terms like anledning (occasion) and orsak (cause); skälet tends to emphasize justification or motive rather than mere cause or timing.

Morphology and forms: the plural indefinite is skäl, and the definite plural is skälen. The possessive singular is skälets (the reason’s), and the phrase mitt/skäl could be used in some contexts to mean “my reason.” The word can appear in a range of registers from journalism to personal explanation, and in formal writing it is common to discuss skälet bakom ett beslut (the reason behind a decision).

Etymology: skälet derives from the Swedish base skäl meaning reason or motive, with the definite form skälet. The related nouns skäl, skälet, and skälens derivatives appear across related Germanic languages with similar meanings.

See also: anledning, orsak, grund, förklaring.