Same sound, different use
whose vs who's
Same sound, different meaning and spelling
Whose asks or tells which person something belongs to. Who’s is a contraction of who is or who has. The apostrophe marks missing letters, not possession.
Reference accent
Reference recordings are AI-generated. Nothing is recorded.
Context decides
Expand the contraction before you write
Because the forms sound the same, the fastest reliable check happens on the page, not in your ear.
Possession or association: whose
Use whose to ask or state which person something belongs or relates to.
Whose keys are on the desk?
Who is / who has: who’s
Use the apostrophe only for the shortened forms who is or who has.
Who’s finished the report? = Who has finished the report?
Direct answer
What is the difference?
Use whose before a noun or by itself when asking about ownership or association. Use who’s only when you can expand it to who is or who has. This follows the same pattern as its and it’s: the possessive form has no apostrophe, while the contraction does.
American English
Hear the shared pronunciation
These terms share a standard pronunciation. Use the recordings to learn the sound, then use meaning and context to choose the spelling.
Word 1
whose
possessive determiner or pronoun
Belonging to or associated with which person.
US pronunciation
/huːz/
UK IPA
/huːz/
Hear three samples
How to pronounce it
Begin with H, hold the OO vowel, and finish with a voiced Z. It sounds exactly like who’s.
Word 2
who's
contraction
A shortened form of who is or who has.
US pronunciation
/huːz/
UK IPA
/huːz/
Hear three samples
How to pronounce it
Use the same one-syllable pronunciation as whose. The apostrophe changes grammar, not sound.
Listen in context
6 example sentences
Context makes meaning, grammar, and natural rhythm easier to understand. Every sentence has its own playback.
Examples with
whose
- Whose notebook is this?
- She met the author whose book won the prize.
- I do not know whose turn it is.
Examples with
who's
- Who's responsible for the final review?
- Do you know who's joining us?
- Who's already completed the training?