Common mistakes
Which or who: choose the correct word for people and things
Sign in to saveWho sent the message? Which message did they send? The two questions look similar, but one asks about a person and the other asks about a thing.
Choose who for people and which for things, choices, and non-human subjects in clear English questions and relative clauses.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
Who chose which chair? /huː tʃəʊz wɪtʃ tʃeə/
The short answer
Use who for people. Use which for things and for a choice among options.
Who is responsible for the display? Which display is ready?
Why it works: Who asks for a person; which asks you to select one thing from a known group.
5 more examples
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Who designed the poster for the school event?
The answer is a person's name, so who is correct.
Not this:
Which posterwas chosen for the school event? What changes: The answer identifies one poster from several, so which is correct. -
The engineer who checked the bridge wrote a short report.
Who introduces information about the person, the engineer.
Not this:The
bridge whichthe engineer checked reopened on Monday. What changes: Which refers to the structure, not to the person. -
Who is waiting at the reception desk?
The question asks for the identity of a person.
Not this:
Which deskis free for visitors? What changes: The question asks the listener to identify one desk. -
I spoke to the author who wrote the travel guide.
The relative word refers back to author, a person.
Not this:I bought the
guidebook whichexplains the local bus routes. What changes: Which refers back to guidebook, an object. -
Who can explain this rule to the new class?
The speaker needs a person who can do the action.
Not this:
Which ruleshould the new class practise first? What changes: The speaker asks for one rule from possible rules.
Read the full guide
Do not choose the word by looking at the sentence shape alone. Find the missing information. If you need the name of a person, choose who. If you need to identify a thing or choose from available options, choose which.
Ask what kind of answer you need
Before choosing a word, decide whether the missing answer is a person, a thing, or one item from a set. This simple check prevents most mistakes.
Who organised the meeting?
The answer is a person, such as Priya or the manager.
Which meeting starts at nine?
The answer identifies one meeting from the schedule.
You need the name of the person at the door. Which word do you use?
Use who.
Use who for people in questions
Who can be the subject of a question. You do not need do or does when who itself performs the action: Who lives nearby? When another person is the subject, use normal question order: Who did you meet?
Who brought the first-aid kit?
Who is the person who performed the action of bringing it.
Who did you invite to the workshop?
You is the subject, and who is the person invited.
Complete the question: ___ wrote this note?
Use Who wrote this note?
Use which for things and choices
Which points to a thing, an idea, an animal in neutral reference, or a choice. It commonly comes before a noun: which bus, which answer, which colour. It can also stand alone when the noun is already clear.
Which folder contains the final draft?
The speaker expects one folder to be identified.
Which of these keys opens the side gate?
The keys are a visible or understood set of options.
You are choosing a seat on a plane. Which word starts the question?
Use which: Which seat would you prefer?
Match relative clauses to the noun
A relative clause adds information after a noun. Use who when that noun is a person and which when it is a thing. Read back to the noun rather than choosing by the next verb.
The student who asked the question stayed after class.
Who refers to student, so it identifies a person.
The question which the student asked was difficult.
Which refers to question, so it identifies a thing.
Choose the word: The musician ___ played last was excellent.
Use who because musician is a person.
Use that when the style allows it
In many defining relative clauses, that can replace who or which: the person that called, the book that I borrowed. Who is often preferred for people, especially in careful writing. Do not use that after a comma in a non-defining clause.
The colleague who works remotely will join us online.
That can replace who here because the clause identifies which colleague.
My laptop, which I bought last year, needs a new battery.
The commas add extra information, so use which rather than that.
Can that replace which in The tablet which is on the desk is mine?
Yes. The clause identifies the tablet, so The tablet that is on the desk is mine is possible.
Avoid nearby-word traps
A sentence may mention both people and things. Choose the relative word from the noun directly before the clause. A person can own an object, but the word still refers to the noun it follows.
The teacher who owns the camera lent us the tripod.
Who refers to teacher, even though the sentence also mentions a camera.
The camera which the teacher owns is used for science projects.
Which refers to camera, not to teacher.
Read the noun before the blank: The laptop ___ belongs to Sara is charging. Which word fits?
Use which because laptop is a thing.
Before you go
Remember this
Use who for people: Who answered the phone? Use which for things and selections: Which phone is ringing? In a relative clause, match the word to the noun before it: the colleague who called, the phone which rang.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Which or who: choose the correct word for people and things"
When should I use who instead of which?
Use who when the word refers to a person. For example, ask Who leads the project? and write The colleague who leads the project will speak first. Use which when the reference is a thing or a choice, such as Which project starts first?
Who designed the poster for the school event?
Can which be used for people?
Use who for a person when you are asking for identity or adding a relative clause. Which can appear before a group noun when you ask for a selection, as in Which of the volunteers is available on Friday? The choice is among known volunteers, but the normal relative pronoun remains who.
Which poster was chosen for the school event?
What is the difference between which and what?
Which usually asks you to choose from a limited or understood set: Which jacket should I wear, the blue one or the grey one? What is broader: What should I wear to the ceremony? The listener does not need to see a list for what.
The engineer who checked the bridge wrote a short report.
Can that replace who and which?
That can often replace who or which in a defining relative clause: the person that works here and the book that I borrowed. In more formal writing, who is common for people. After a comma that is not used, so write My book, which is old, is useful.
The bridge which the engineer checked reopened on Monday.
How do I choose who or which in a long sentence?
Find the noun immediately before the relative clause. Use who if that noun is a person and which if it is a thing. In The artist who repaired the statue received an award, who points to artist; in The statue which the artist repaired is outdoors, which points to statue.
Who is waiting at the reception desk?