Is it 'responsible for' or 'responsible of'?

'Responsible for' is always correct. 'Responsible of' is a common error and is never correct in English. Say 'responsible for the project,' not 'responsible of the project.'

Why do people say 'responsible of'?

The error often comes from translating directly from other languages where the equivalent word uses 'of' (like French 'responsable de' or Spanish 'responsable de'). In English, the correct preposition is always 'for.'

Responsible For or Responsible Of? Which Is Correct?

Quick Answer

"Responsible for" is always correct. "Responsible of" is never correct.

The Rule

Responsible + for = ALWAYS correct
Responsible + of = NEVER correct

In English, "responsible" is always followed by "for" - this is a fixed collocation that never changes, regardless of what comes after it.

Common Error Source: Many languages use "of" with their word for "responsible" (French: responsable de, Spanish: responsable de). This causes direct translation errors.

What Follows "Responsible For"?

• Tasks: She's responsible for the project.
• People: I'm responsible for my team.
• Actions: Who is responsible for this mess?
• Gerunds: He's responsible for organizing the event.
• Outcomes: The manager is responsible for the results.

Examples

✔She is responsible for the marketing department.

✘She is responsible of the marketing department.

✔Who is responsible for this decision?

✘Who is responsible of this decision?

✔He is responsible for managing the budget.

✔Parents are responsible for their children.

✔The company is responsible for the damage.

"Responsible To" (Different Meaning)

Note: "Responsible to" is also correct but has a different meaning:

• Responsible for = having duty/blame for something
• Responsible to = accountable to a person/authority

"The manager is responsible for sales." (handles sales)

"The manager is responsible to the CEO." (reports to the CEO)

Practice

Choose the correct preposition:

"The IT department is responsible _____ maintaining the servers." (for/of)

Memory Tip

Think: "Responsible FOR fixing" - both have the letter R!

Responsible = R → For = has R → They go together!