What is the difference between “owing to” and “due to”?

Question

"Due to" seems more common than "owing to" in modern English. Is "owing to" simply an old-fashioned way of saying the same thing, or is there a rule to using it?

Answer 1

I think perhaps the distinction has fallen out of favour, but "due to" seems to apply to nouns and "owing to" applies to verbs. As in: "he was beaten owing to his lack of skill" vs. "his defeat was due to his lack of skill".

Answer 2

There is a difference between "Due to" and "Owing to" in meaning. "Due to" means "caused by", however, "Owing to" means "because of" and it comes always at the beginning of the sentence. Besides "owing to" as a result or consequence of something.

Here are examples for better understanding:

1. Owing to illness, he missed the exam. (because of illness etc.)
2. His absence was due to illness. (His absence was caused by...)