- Whose is the possessive form of who, while who’s is a contraction for who is or who has—both are homophones but have different meanings.
- Whose is used to indicate possession, as in “Whose book is this?”, while who’s is used instead of who is or who has, as in “Who’s coming to the party?”
- Many people mistakenly assume who’s is possessive due to the apostrophe, but possessive pronouns (his, hers, theirs, its, and whose) never use apostrophes.
- A simple trick to remember the difference is to replace who’s with who is or who has. If the sentence still makes sense, use who’s. Otherwise, use whose.
- Who is a subject pronoun (used for the person performing an action), while whom is an object pronoun (used for the person receiving an action).
The words whose and who’s may sound identical, but their meanings and usage are completely different. Here, we’ll explain the distinction between these homophones to help you use them correctly in your writing.
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What’s the difference between whose and who’s?
What’s the difference between whose and who’s?
Whose is the possessive form of the pronoun who, whereas who’s is a contraction linking the words who is or who has. Whose and who’s are homophones, meaning they sound the same but have different meanings and are sometimes spelled differently. Here’s another way to remember the difference:
- Whose: belonging to whom
- Who’s: contraction of who is or who has
Now, let’s use them both in one sentence:
Because possessive nouns often use -’s, it’s tempting to think who’s (not whose) is the possessive form of who. But apostrophes are also used in contractions; that’s what the apostrophe indicates in who’s.
Unlike possessive nouns, which often use apostrophes, possessive pronouns—such as his, hers, theirs, and its—never do. That’s why the possessive form of who is whose.
What’s the meaning of whose?
Whose is the possessive form of the pronoun who. Whose means “belonging to whom” or, occasionally, “of which.” Use it when you’re asking or declaring to whom something belongs. In other words, whose is about possession.
The relative pronoun whose is used the same as other possessive pronouns like their when you don’t know the owner of something.
What’s the meaning of who’s?
Who’s means who is or who has. Who’s is a contraction, meaning it’s two words stuck together with some of the letters left out, and those letters are replaced with an apostrophe. This can make pronunciation easier and quicker.
The formula for who’s is: who + is or who + has = who’s.
It helps to remember that who is a pronoun used to refer to a person or people.
Who vs. whom
Both who’s and whose are derived from the pronoun who, but they serve different grammatical roles. Who is used to refer to the subject of a sentence or clause (the person performing an action). Whom is used to refer to the object of a verb or preposition (the person being affected by an action).
Who and whom are both pronouns. Who is a subject pronoun (like I, he, she, we, and they), whereas whom is an object pronoun (like me, him, her, us, and them).
Try this simple trick when in doubt: If you can replace the word with he or she, use who. If you can replace the word with him or her, use whom.
Like other pronouns, who changes form depending on its role in a sentence. Whom is the objective form—if you can replace it with him, her, me, or them, then whom is correct.
Examples of whose vs. who’s
Here are some more examples of how to use whose vs. who’s.
It’s worth noting that who typically refers to people, but in possessive form (whose), it can sometimes apply to inanimate objects (like Bessie’s lantern) when there’s no better alternative. The alternative is “Bessie carried a lantern, the light of which glanced on wet steps.” Here’s another example:
And finally, here’s a who’ve for good measure, which means who have:
Whose vs. who’s FAQs
Is it whose or who’s?
Whose is the possessive form of who, while who’s is a contraction for who is or who has.
How do you remember the difference between whose and who’s?
Try replacing who’s with who is or who has. If the sentence still makes sense, use who’s. Otherwise, use whose.
Why does whose not have an apostrophe?
Possessive pronouns (like his, hers, and its) never use apostrophes, and whose follows this rule.
Can whose be used for objects as well as people?
While whose is traditionally used to indicate possession in relation to people, it is also accepted for objects when no better alternative exists.
Some argue that whose should only be used for people since it originates from who. In highly formal writing, an alternative phrasing such as “the colors of which” or “the plot of which” may be preferred.
What are some common mistakes with whose and who’s?
- A common mistake is using who’s instead of whose to indicate possession, such as “Who’s phone is ringing?” The correct form is “Whose phone is ringing?” because whose shows ownership.
- Another mistake is using whose instead of who’s in a contraction, such as “Whose going to the concert tonight?” when it should be “Who’s going to the concert tonight?” (who’s = who is).
- It’s also incorrect to add an apostrophe to whose, as in “Whose’s idea was this?”. Remember, whose is always possessive and never takes an apostrophe, while who’s is only used as a contraction for who is or who has.
