Shaky English Logo
BlogBusinessesSchoolsDownload the App

Resources

Blog

Follow us:

Services

TeachersSchoolsBusinesses

Contact & Legal

Contact UsFeedback & IdeasPrivacy PolicyTerms of Use

© 2026 Shaky English. All rights reserved.

  1. Home
  2. Blog
  3. Commonly Confused Words
  4. Who's vs. Whose
Commonly Confused Words

Who's vs. Whose

1 min read
Share:

Let’s quickly clear up the difference between who’s and whose!

Who's

Who's is a contraction of who is or who has.

  • Who's at the door? → Who is at the door?
  • Who's coming to dinner? → Who is coming?
  • Who's seen my keys? → Who has seen my keys?

If you can replace it with “who is” or “who has,” then “who’s” is the right choice.

Whose

Whose is a possessive word — it shows that something belongs to someone.

  • Whose phone is this?
  • Do you know whose car is blocking the driveway?
  • That's the artist whose work I love.

Use “whose” when you’re talking about ownership or possession.

💡 Tip

If you can replace the word with who is or who has, use who’s.

If that doesn’t work, then the correct word is whose.

Test your knowledge 📝

Question 1 sur 8Score: 0/8

___ coming to the party tonight?

Discover the app: Shaky English

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

Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play

Other similar rules

Common confusions

“Different from” vs. “Different than”

In English, we often use the word different to talk about contrast or distinction. But should we say different from or different than? The answer depends on grammar and style — but in most cases, diff...

Read more→
Common mistakes

Reporting Verbs & Backshifting

When we report what someone said, we usually change the tense, pronouns, and time expressions. This is called reported speech. The rules are simple once you understand why the changes happen. Direct...

Read more→
A bit of theory

Disinterested vs. Uninterested

Many English speakers confuse “disinterested” and “uninterested”, but they have very different meanings. Disinterested Disinterested means neutral or impartial. A disinterested person has no personal...

Read more→
Common confusions

Historic vs. Historical

Historic and historical look almost the same, but they are used differently. Both relate to the past, but the meaning changes depending on the type of event or object you’re talking about. Historic H...

Read more→
Common confusions

It's vs. Its

It’s and its are two of the most commonly confused words in English. Even native speakers mix them up! The good news: the difference is simple when you know what each one means. It's It’s is a contra...

Read more→
A bit of theory

The correct use of “anxious”

In everyday English, people often say they are anxious to do something when they actually mean they are eager or excited. However, these words do not mean the same thing. Anxious Anxious means feelin...

Read more→
Agreement rules

Word Order with Adverbs of Frequency (always, never, usually)

Adverbs of frequency (like always, never, often, usually, sometimes, rarely) tell us how often something happens. In English, they usually go before the main verb, but there are some important rules d...

Read more→
Vocabulary

Title Capitalization

Title Case means you capitalize the important words in a title. It’s the style used in book titles, headings, and most English writing where the title needs to look formal. What do we capitalize in t...

Read more→