Who’s means who is or who has. Use whose to ask about an owner, identify the person responsible, or describe a connection between someone and something. Use the expansion test: if who is or who has fits the sentence, write who’s. If the meaning is possession or association, write whose.
Compare Who’s bringing the microphone? with Whose microphone is this? The first asks who is bringing it. The second asks who owns it. The words sound the same, but the apostrophe changes their job.
The speaker whose slides we used is arriving later.
The slides are associated with that speaker.
When to use who’s
Who’s is a contraction. The apostrophe marks letters left out of who is or who has. It can appear in a question or inside a statement, so the presence of a question mark does not decide which spelling you need.
Who’s meaning who is
Who’s speaking after the break?
Who’s responsible for booking the hall?
I cannot remember who’s joining us online.
Tell me who’s available to collect the equipment.
The volunteer who’s standing near the entrance can help.
Who’s ready to try the next exercise?
In each example, replace who’s with who is. The sentence keeps the same meaning: The volunteer who is standing near the entrance can help.
Who’s meaning who has
Who’s finished the first draft?
Who’s been using the rehearsal room?
I want to know who’s already received the invitation.
The student who’s prepared the diagram will explain it.
Who’s saved the latest version of the slides?
Please check who’s submitted the form.
Here, has helps form the present perfect: has finished, has been using, or has submitted. Do not assume that who’s works for every use of has. For a straightforward possession question, write Who has the spare key? rather than trying to shorten it to Who’s the spare key?
When to use whose
Whose is the possessive form associated with who. It can introduce a question about ownership or responsibility, or connect a noun to someone or something in a relative clause. It does not need an apostrophe.
Whose in direct and indirect questions
Whose notebook is beside the projector?
Whose turn is it to introduce the speaker?
Whose idea was the new seating plan?
Do you know whose coat this is?
I asked whose responsibility it was to check the doors.
Whose are these printed copies?
Whose can stand before a noun, as in whose notebook, or stand on its own, as in Whose are these? It also covers responsibility and association, not only the legal ownership of an object.
Whose in relative clauses
The presenter whose examples we discussed is visiting next week.
I thanked the colleague whose advice helped me prepare.
The dog whose lead broke stayed beside its owner.
We chose a venue whose entrance is accessible from the street.
The organisation whose volunteers arranged the event sent an update.
She reviewed a report whose final section needed more evidence.
Whose can refer to things and organisations as well as people and animals. A venue whose entrance is accessible is grammatical. You do not have to replace it with the entrance of which simply because the venue is not a person.
Why doesn’t whose have an apostrophe?
Possessive pronouns and determiners such as hers, ours, yours, its, and whose use their own possessive forms. They do not follow the same pattern as a noun such as Maya’s. In who’s, the apostrophe belongs to a contraction, so adding it changes the meaning rather than showing possession.
Common mistakes and corrections
Incorrect sentence
Correct sentence
Reason
Who’s laptop is on the desk?
Whose laptop is on the desk?
The question asks who owns the laptop.
Whose coming to the rehearsal?
Who’s coming to the rehearsal?
Who is coming fits.
I need to know whose completed the form.
I need to know who’s completed the form.
Who has completed fits.
The person who’s coat I borrowed has arrived.
The person whose coat I borrowed has arrived.
The coat belongs to that person.
Who’s are these keys?
Whose are these keys?
Whose stands alone in a possession question.
Whose been moving the chairs?
Who’s been moving the chairs?
Who has been moving fits.
A three-step check before you send
Try who is in place of the uncertain word. If the sentence works, choose who’s.
If who is does not work, try who has as an auxiliary before a past participle, such as who has written or who has been waiting.
If neither expansion fits and you mean possession, responsibility, or association, choose whose. Read the whole sentence to confirm the meaning.
Sometimes both words can produce grammatical sentences with different meanings. Who’s the organiser? asks who is the organiser. Whose organiser? is a short question about which person or group the organiser belongs to. Choose the spelling from the meaning you intend, not from a mechanical rule about the next word.
Practise who’s and whose
Choose who’s or whose to complete each sentence.
___ ready to test the microphone?
___ notes did you use for the summary?
Do you know ___ booked the room?
The tutor ___ feedback I used will attend.
___ been waiting since nine?
___ turn is it to present?
We chose a building ___ doors open onto the courtyard.
Tell me ___ joining the call.
___ are the spare pencils?
The speaker ___ just arrived needs a name badge.
I asked ___ idea the new timetable was.
___ responsible for returning the projector?
Quiz answers
Who’s: Who is ready fits.
Whose: The question asks about the source or owner of the notes.
Who’s: Who has booked fits.
Whose: The feedback is associated with that tutor.
Who’s: Who has been waiting fits.
Whose: The question asks who has the turn.
Whose: Whose can refer to the building.
Who’s: Who is joining fits.
Whose: The word stands alone to ask about possession.
Who’s: Who has just arrived fits.
Whose: The question concerns whose idea it was.
Who’s: Who is responsible fits.
Can you use who’s in formal writing?
Who’s is grammatical, but some formal documents prefer the full forms who is and who has. Follow the required style for your report or assignment. Expanding the contraction can also make a sentence easier to check. Whose stays the same because it is already a complete possessive form.
The distinction is mainly a writing issue because the two words have the same pronunciation. When reading a script aloud, use the sentence’s meaning to guide emphasis. For more help making instructions and questions clear, see our communication skills guide.
