Whose vs. Who’s – How to Use Each Correctly

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Whose vs. Who’s – What’s the Gist?

Whose and who’s are two English homographs, meaning that they are words that have similar spellings and sounds but have entirely different meanings.

  • Whose is a relative pronoun showing possession or ownership.
  • Who’s is a contraction of two words: the relative pronoun who and the verb is.

Careful attention to detail will help you pick the right word.

whose versus whos

How to Use Whose in a Sentence

Whose definition: Although the word whose is a pronoun, because it shows ownership or possession, technically, it is an adjective showing whose of the noun it possesses.

For example:

  • After seeing a strange animal on the porch, the babysitter asked, “Whose dog is that?” (Adjective)
  • Whose luggage was coming off the airline’s conveyor belt. (Adjective)
  • Because everyone had the same textbook for class, the teacher asked, “Whose text was left on the table?” (Adjective)

In other words, the noun is being modified by the relative pronoun making the word whose an adjective.

How to Use Who’s in a Sentence

Who’s definition: The contraction who’s is functioning as a subject (who) and partial predicate (‘s), meaning who is or who has.

For example:

  • Who’s coming to dinner tonight? (Pronoun and partial Verb)
  • The startled woman asked, “Who’s out there?” (Pronoun and partial Verb)
  • Your mother is a person who’s always been in your corner. (Pronoun and partial Verb)

Just remember the contraction for who’s is either who is or who has.

Outside Examples of Whose vs. Who’s

  • “This tragic fire would have been quickly contained and most likely extinguished had there been the presence of an automatic fire system in that apartment,” said Minnesota Fire Marshal Jim Smith, whose office assisted in the investigation. –Star Tribune
  • It’s a cliché by now to think of restaurants as living organisms, but it’s a useful metaphor for Onda, a restaurant whose very name — Spanish for “ocean wave” — suggests movement and change. The dinner menu will evolve with time, Koslow told me recently via email. –Los Angeles Times
  • “He wants to show people that he’s a quarterback,” said Chip Smith, of Chip Smith Performance Systems, who’s trained more than 2,000 athletes for the combine over the past 32 years. –The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
  • This is the first time all season we finally see Hannah Ann display a real sense of personality, and she shows no remorse over leaving Peter, who’s still hung up on Madison. “I want so badly to be able to give you my entire heart,” Peter tells Hannah Ann. “But I can’t do that.” –The Washington Post

Phrases That Use Whose and Who’s

There are a couple idioms or phrases that use either the word whose or who’s, including:

You and whose army: A rebuff to someone suggesting that it will take more than that one person to bring something to fruition.

  • After the mother told the teenager to do the dishes, the girl replied, “You and whose army is going to make me?”

Who’s who: A list of movers and shakers.

  • The political candidate’s power luncheon fundraiser had the who’s who of the community in attendance.

How to Remember These Words

The easiest way to remember which of these words you want is to substitute the words who is or who has for the word you think you want. If it makes sense, you know that you want the contraction who’s; if it doesn’t, you know to use the possessive case whose.

For example:

  • Who is home will host the next game night?

The above sentence doesn’t make sense, so use the word whose rather than who’s.

  • Whose home will host the next game night?

For example:

  • Who is ready for spring break?

This sentence does make sense, so you know to use the word who’s.

  • Who’s ready for spring break?

Quiz: Whose or Who’s

  • She asked, “_______ your best friend?”
  • The mother wondered _______ mess it was on the floor.
  • When the landlord saw the key left in the lock, he wondered _______ key it was and what to do next.
  • _______ the best teacher in the school?

Article Summary

Is whose or who’s correct? What homograph do you want? Ask yourself the following two questions to determine the correct answer. If you want an adjective showing possession or ownership, choose whose. If you are looking for a contraction of the words who is or who has, pick who’s.

  • Whose is a relative pronoun that acts as an adjective showing possession.
  • Who’s is a contraction of the words who is or who has.

Quiz Answers

  • Who’s.
  • Whose.
  • Whose.
  • Who’s.