Commonly Confused Words

Who vs. That

1 min read

Should you say “the person who...” or “the person that...”? Here is how to choose.

Who

Use who for people. It starts the part of the sentence that gives more information about a person.

I saw a woman who looked just like a famous actress.
He's the guy who fixed my laptop yesterday.
There are students who actually enjoy exams.

That

Use that for things and animals. Never use who for things.

This is the app that helps me stay focused.
The movie that we watched last night was amazing.

❌ This is the app who helps me.
✅ This is the app that helps me.

In everyday English, people also use that for people (the guy that fixed my laptop). This is not wrong, but who is more common and better in writing.

After a comma

When the extra information about a person is between commas, use who. That is never used after a comma.

❌ My boss, that is on holiday, called me.
✅ My boss, who is on holiday, called me.

💡 Tip

Who = people.
That = things (and sometimes people, in everyday speech).
After a comma, never use that.

Test your knowledge 📝

Question 1 sur 8Score: 0/8

My sister, ___ lives in Lyon, is a doctor.

Discover the app: Shaky English

Join 100,000 people who are improving their English skills on the Shaky English app

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Then vs. Than

People often mix up then and than, even native speakers. But they have very different meanings. Then Then is used to talk about time, order, or results. It tells us what happens next, or what happen...

Commonly Confused Words

Who vs. That

1 min read

Should you say “the person who...” or “the person that...”? Here is how to choose.

Who

Use who for people. It starts the part of the sentence that gives more information about a person.

I saw a woman who looked just like a famous actress.
He's the guy who fixed my laptop yesterday.
There are students who actually enjoy exams.

That

Use that for things and animals. Never use who for things.

This is the app that helps me stay focused.
The movie that we watched last night was amazing.

❌ This is the app who helps me.
✅ This is the app that helps me.

In everyday English, people also use that for people (the guy that fixed my laptop). This is not wrong, but who is more common and better in writing.

After a comma

When the extra information about a person is between commas, use who. That is never used after a comma.

❌ My boss, that is on holiday, called me.
✅ My boss, who is on holiday, called me.

💡 Tip

Who = people.
That = things (and sometimes people, in everyday speech).
After a comma, never use that.

Test your knowledge 📝

Question 1 sur 8Score: 0/8

My sister, ___ lives in Lyon, is a doctor.

Discover the app: Shaky English

Join 100,000 people who are improving their English skills on the Shaky English app

Other similar rules

Common mistakes

The Subjunctive in English

A bit of theory

A lot vs. Allot vs. Alot

Common confusions

Like vs. Such as

Like and such as look similar, but they are not always the same. Like: to compare Like shows that one thing is similar to another. Here, you cannot use such as. She sings like a professional. (Sh...

Agreement rules

Double Negatives (e.g. I don’t know nothing)

Conjugation

Arrive in / Arrive at (never 'arrive to')

With go and get, you use "to": go to London, get to the station. With arrive, you never use "to". You use in or at. 1. Arrive in → a city, a country, a region We arrived in Tokyo at 6 a.m. When...

Common confusions

Less vs. Fewer

People often mix up less and fewer, but one simple rule helps you get it right. Fewer Fewer is used with countable nouns: things you can count one by one. There were fewer people at the event th...

Conjugation

What is a Preposition?

A preposition is a small word that shows how other words in a sentence are linked. It often shows direction, place, time, or other links like with, for, about. Common uses of prepositions Directi...

Common confusions