Whose vs. Who’s: A Guide to Correct Grammar

Last updated on September 22, 2024 by Liam Daniel

Who’s the one whose sentence had who’s instead of whose? Sounds confusing, right? These two words can easily be mixed up for quite a few reasons: their pronunciation, their form and their use (in a way). But when is the right time to use each one? That’s what you’ll find out after reading the next few paragraphs.

Whose vs. Who’s: the Key Differences

Key Distinctions:

  • Whose: Possessive form, used when asking or talking about ownership.
    • Example: “Do you know whose jacket this is?”
  • Who’s: A contraction for “who is” or “who has.”
    • Example: “Who’s coming to dinner?” (Who is)
    • Example: “Who’s finished the project?” (Who has)
Whose vs. Who's
Whose vs. Who’s – Created by 7ESL

Whose vs. Who’s: Definition, Usage

Whose (Possessive Pronoun):

  • Meaning: Refers to something that belongs to someone.
  • Use: Shows ownership or possession.
  • Examples:
    • “Whose book is this?”
    • “Do you know whose car is parked outside?”
  • Explanation: “Whose” is used to ask or indicate to whom something belongs.

Who’s (Contraction of “Who is” or “Who has”):

  • Meaning: Shortened form of “who is” or “who has.”
  • Use: Used in sentences as a contraction.
  • Examples:
    • “Who’s going to the party tonight?” (Who is)
    • “Who’s already finished their homework?” (Who has)
  • Explanation: “Who’s” is a contraction and should be used when you can substitute “who is” or “who has.”

Whose vs. Who’s: Common Mistakes:

Using “who’s” instead of “whose” for possession:

  • Incorrect: “Who’s car is this?”
  • Correct: “Whose car is this?”
  • Explanation: “Whose” is used to show possession, so it’s correct here.

Using “whose” instead of “who’s” for “who is”:

  • Incorrect: “Whose going to the concert?”
  • Correct: “Who’s going to the concert?”
  • Explanation: “Who’s” is the contraction for “who is,” making it the right choice here.

Trick to Remember

The best way to remember the difference between who’s vs. whose is to remember their usage. Even easier, you only have to remember the usage of who’s: who’s is a contraction between two words. With that in mind, any time you want to use who’s and you are not sure if it’s the right word, just replace it with who is or who has and see if it makes any sense.

Example: “Who’s keys are those?” becomes “Who is keys are those?” or “Who has keys are those?”, which makes no sense, so the right word, in this case, would be whose.

“Who’s up for some nachos?” becomes “Who is up for some nachos?” This is the correct word, so it makes sense.

You could also remember a modified version of the first sentence of this article: Who’s the one whose keys I found? Remember this sentence and keep in mind that the words go from shortest to longest (whose vs who’s, not all the words) and you’re good to go. Personally, I find the first method to be the easiest one to remember.

Quick Tips:

  • Use “whose” when you’re asking about ownership (e.g., “Whose phone is this?”).
  • Use “who’s” when you mean “who is” or “who has” (e.g., “Who’s at the door?”).

Related Confused Words

Understanding the differences between “whose” and “who’s” is pivotal for clear communication. This section breaks down the confusion surrounding these terms and their look-alikes, “whom” and “whom.”

Who’s vs. Whom

Who’s is a contraction for “who is” or “who has.” It can never be used to refer to possession. On the other hand, whom is a pronoun used as the object of a verb or preposition. Here’s a simple way to decide which to use: if you can replace the word with “he” or “she,” use who’s; if “him” or “her” fits, use whom.

  • Who’s excited for the movie? (Who is excited for the movie?)
  • To whom was the letter addressed? (The letter was addressed to him/her.)

Whose vs. Whom

Whose is the possessive form of “who,” used to describe to whom something belongs. Whom, as previously mentioned, is an object pronoun. Remember, “whose” always indicates ownership, and “whom” refers to someone as the object of the sentence.

  • Whose coat is this? (To whom does the coat belong?)
  • Whom did you see? (You saw him/her.)

Related

Whose vs. Who’s Examples

Whose Examples

  1. Whose book is this lying on the table?
  2. She was the one whose proposal was accepted by the committee.
  3. The teacher asked the students whose project was ready to present first.
  4. They found a dog whose collar had no identification tags.
  5. The story is about a hero whose courage saved the kingdom.

Who’s Examples 

  1. Who’s going to the party tonight?
  2. I wonder who’s been using my laptop without permission.
  3. Who’s got the tickets for the concert?
  4. She’s the one who’s responsible for organizing the event.
  5. Do you know who’s leading the meeting today?

Whose vs. Who’s Exercise

Practice Questions

  1. ___ idea was it to order pizza for dinner?
  2. ___ responsible for locking the doors at night?
  3. ___ been using my computer without asking?
  4. ___ going to take the dog for a walk?
  5. ___ glasses are on the kitchen table?
  6. ___ going to make the presentation tomorrow?
  7. ___ birthday is coming up next week?
  8. ___ been telling stories about their travels?
  9. ___ supposed to pick up the groceries?
  10. ___ phone keeps ringing?

Answers

  1. Whose
  2. Who’s
  3. Who’s
  4. Who’s
  5. Whose
  6. Who’s
  7. Whose
  8. Who’s
  9. Who’s
  10. Whose
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