How to Use Whose vs. Who's (Explained, With Examples)

First published on October 31, 2022 by Dalia Y.|Last revised on October 20, 2024

Who's is a contraction that combines who and is. Whose is the possessive form of who.

How to Use Whose vs. Who's (Explained, With Examples)

Who's vs. whose

If who's vs. whose still gets you mixed up—don't worry, the answer is a matter of a quick lesson in grammar.

Who's vs. whose explained

Whose and who’s are both forms of the interrogative pronoun “who“, (not the World Health Organization, though they have the same letters).

word	example
Whose (possessive pronoun) indicates belonging	Do you know whose book this is? Whose car is parked in my spot?
Who’s (contraction, who + is or has)	Have you heard who’s going to be at the party? Who’s been to this restaurant before?

The contraction “who’s” (who + is/has)

👍🏼Usage Note

✓
Who’s going to bring the dessert to the potluck this year?

✓
Whose turn is it to do the dishes tonight?

✓
I wonder who’s seen the new movie.

✓
I wonder whose idea it was to paint the house purple.

✗
Whose coming to the party tonight? (Incorrect: should be “Who’s”)

✗
I don’t know who’s dog that is. (Incorrect: should be “whose”)

Who’s with an apostrophe ‘s’ is a contraction that combines the pronoun “who“with the present tense singular form of”to be“, namely is (in the third-person), and has, (third-person present sing. of have).

[Who + is]: Who’s going to be at the party?; “Guess who’s coming to dinner?

[Who + has]: Do you know who’s been here before?; she’s someone who’s always been there for me.

Apostrophe ‘s can indicate possession, (e.g., “Sarah’s jacket”). But an apostrophe ‘s can also be a short form (or contraction) of two individual words. This is how ‘s works in the word (read: contraction) “who’s“.

Keep in mind, when it comes to formal writing, try to avoid using most contractions because it can come across as informal. Apostrophes indicating possession are correct regardless of the tone or application of writing.

How to use whose (possessive)

Whose is the possessive form of who. We use whose to ask about possession or belonging; to specify something we’re referring to, or to provide more information on something or someone:

Whose phone is that on the table?

It’s the house whose door is painted red.

Jake, whose sister is an archeologist, is considering studying the subject as well.

💡Study Tip

If you can replace “who’s” with “who is” or “who has” and the sentence still makes sense, then “who’s” is the correct word to use. If not, you probably need “whose.”

Because “whose” is a possessive determiner, it doesn’t need an apostrophe ‘s to show possession since the noun is already made clear. The other possessive determiners are my, your, his, her, its, our, their, whose.

Also keep in mind that as a possessive pronoun, ‘whose‘ can refer to all types of nouns; e.g., people, places, things, and is not reserved for people only: China is a country whose history fascinates me.

Why do we confuse who’s and whose?

Who’s and whose are homophones in the English language, which are words that sound the same and are pronounced the same, but have different meanings, and should therefore be used distinctly from each other. This is true in the case of who’s and whose, despite both being rooted in the same subject pronoun who.

In review: who’s vs. whose

Whose vs who's — Who’s vs. whose. Made by grammarflex.

Whose is the possessive form of who and asks about ownership or possession.

More confusing words

Homophones & Contractions	Possessive Forms
Commonly misused words	Contractions in grammar
it's or its	their, they're or there
to vs. too	your vs. you're
effect vs. affect	compliment vs. complement
breathe vs. breath	accept vs. except
whether vs. weather	principle vs. principal

Practice: Who’s or whose?

Word origin

Who: Old English hwā, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch wie and German wer. The interrogative pronoun "who" has been used since Old English times to ask about people or to introduce relative clauses.

Whose: Old English hwæs, genitive of hwā (who). The possessive form has been used continuously since Old English to indicate possession or belonging, maintaining its function through the centuries despite spelling changes.

Who's: The contraction "who's" combining "who" + "is" or "who" + "has" emerged in written English during the 16th-17th century as contractions became more common in English. The apostrophe marks the omission of letters in the contracted form.

FAQs

When should I use "who's"?

Use "who's" when you mean "who is" or "who has." It's a contraction combining "who" + "is" or "who" + "has." For example: "Who's coming to dinner?" (who is) or "Who's been here?" (who has).

When should I use "whose"?

Use "whose" to show possession or belonging. It's the possessive form of "who." For example: "Whose book is this?" or "The person whose car is blocking the driveway."

What's the difference between "who's" and "whose"?

"Who's" is a contraction meaning "who is" or "who has." "Whose" is a possessive pronoun indicating ownership or belonging. They sound the same but have completely different functions.

How do I check if "who's" is correct?

Replace "who's" with "who is" or "who has" in your sentence. If the sentence still makes sense, then "who's" is correct. If it doesn't make sense, you probably need "whose."

Why doesn't "whose" have an apostrophe?

"Whose" is a possessive determiner, similar to "his," "her," or "its." It functions as a possessive word on its own and doesn't need an apostrophe to show belonging, just like "his" doesn't become "hi's."

What are common mistakes with "who's" and "whose"?

Common errors include using "whose" when you mean "who is" (e.g., "Whose coming?"), or using "who's" when showing possession (e.g., "who's dog"). Remember the replacement test: if you can say "who is" or "who has," use "who's."

Sources

Oxford English Dictionary. "Who." Oxford University Press. Date of access 14 Oct. 2025.
Oxford English Dictionary. "Whose." Oxford University Press. Date of access 14 Oct. 2025.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary. "Who's." Merriam-Webster, Inc. Date of access 14 Oct. 2025.
Cambridge Grammar of the English Language. Huddleston, Rodney, and Geoffrey K. Pullum. Cambridge University Press, 2002.