Whose vs Who's: What's the Difference?

Whose shows possession ('whose book is this?'). Who's is a contraction of 'who is' or 'who has.' If you can substitute 'who is' or 'who has' for the word, use 'who's.' Otherwise, use 'whose.'

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Option A

Whose

Possessive pronoun

Shows that something belongs to someone — the possessive form of 'who.'

Examples
  • "Whose book is this?"
  • "She's the author whose work I admire."
  • "Whose turn is it?"
Option B

Who's

Contraction

Short for 'who is' or 'who has.' The apostrophe replaces the missing letters.

Examples
  • "Who's coming to the party? (Who is coming.)"
  • "Who's been eating my snacks? (Who has been.)"
  • "I know who's responsible (who is)."

Why Are They Confused?

Same problem as 'its vs it's' — English uses the apostrophe for the contraction, not the possessive. The natural rule of 'apostrophe = possession' fails here.

💡 Memory Trick

Expand the contraction. If 'who is' or 'who has' fits, use 'who's' (with apostrophe). If not, use 'whose' (no apostrophe). Always test.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • ✗'Whose calling?' — wrong. Should be 'Who's calling?' (Who is calling.)
  • ✗'Who's car is this?' — wrong. Should be 'Whose car is this?' (Possession.)
  • ✗Even native speakers get this one wrong constantly. Spell-check won't catch it.
  • ✗When proofreading, mentally expand every 'who's' to 'who is' and see if it still makes sense.

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Quick Practice Quiz

Q1.___ turn is it to do the dishes?
Q2.___ ready for the meeting?
Q3.She's the writer ___ novels I've read three times.
Q4.Do you know ___ at the door?

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