Who’s vs. Whose
“Who’s” is a contraction of “who is” or “who has”; “whose” is the possessive wh-word used to ask or state who something belongs to. Because the forms are homophones in ordinary pronunciation, expansion and possession tests are more reliable than sound.
If you can expand the form to “who is” or “who has,” use “who’s.” If you are asking about or expressing possession, use “whose.”
Key details
Choose the right form
| Context | Use | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| can expand to “who is” | who’s | Use the contraction “who’s.” |
| can expand to “who has” | who’s | Use the contraction when “has” is auxiliary. |
| asks about or expresses possession | whose | Use the possessive form “whose.” |
Quick tests
Decision test
Can you replace the word with “who is” or “who has” without changing the meaning?
If yes: Use “who’s.”
If no: For possession, use “whose.”
Caveat: The apostrophe marks a contraction here; unlike many nouns, the possessive pronoun has no apostrophe.
Examples
Who’s coming with us?
“Who’s” expands to “who is.”
Whose coat is this?
“Whose” asks about possession.
Who’s already finished the first section?
Here “who’s” expands to “who has.”
Further guidance
Fast Test
Expand who’s. If “who is/who has” does not fit and the meaning is possession, whose is the candidate.
Whos Contraction
Cambridge defines who’s as the short form of who is or who has.
Whose Possession
Cambridge uses whose to ask about possession and to introduce possessive relative clauses.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Who’s — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Contraction meanings who is / who has
- Whose — English Grammar Today (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Possessive whose and who’s warning
Related across sections
These links are manually reviewed for a genuine cross-section connection.
Apostrophes and Possessives in Title Case
Apostrophes can mark possession, contractions, or omitted initial letters, and those uses should not be confused with quotation marks. Chicago also has specific title-case examples for initial-apostrophe contractions and for the compound form “O’Clock.”