ow‧ing to preposition

ow‧ing to
formal because of something:
Owing to a lack of funds, the project will not continue next year.
Flight BA213 has been delayed owing to fog.


owing to, due to, because of, thanks to
Owing to and due to are slightly formal. They are often used in official notices and public statements
• Owing to bad weather, this morning's flight will be delayed.
• He is retiring due to ill health.

!! Owing to and due to are prepositions (they come immediately before a noun). They are not conjunctions (they cannot connect two parts of a sentence)
• I had to wait hours because the plane was delayed (NOT I had to wait hours owing to the plane was delayed).


In spoken English, it is more usual to use because of than owing to or due to
• All my clothes got wet because of the storm (NOT owing to the storm).
Thanks to is used to explain why something good has happened
• Thanks to the success of his first album, he is now a wealthy man.

http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/owing-to