Hello there, English learner! 👋
Great question! “Who’s” and “whose” sound exactly the same (they’re homophones) but have different meanings and grammar rules. This is a common source of confusion—even for native speakers—so let’s clear it up with easy examples, tricks, and practice! ✅

🗝️ Quick Summary

📚 1. Who’s – Contraction of “Who is” or “Who has”

🧠 Think: “Who’s” = Who is or Who has (never shows possession)

✅ Examples:

• Who’s knocking at the door? (= Who is knocking?)
• Who’s been here before? (= Who has been here?)
• Who’s ready to eat? (= Who is ready?)

📌 Tip: If you can replace it with “who is” or “who has” and the sentence still makes sense, then “who’s” is correct.

📚 2. Whose – Possessive Pronoun

🧠 Use “whose” to ask about ownership or belonging.

✅ Examples:

• Whose phone is this? (Who owns the phone?)
• Do you know whose keys these are?
• Whose idea was it to order pizza?

📌 You CANNOT replace “whose” with “who is” — that would not make sense.

🤔 Compare Side by Side

📝 Practice: Choose who’s or whose

1. ______ going to the meeting with you?
2. ______ car is parked in my spot?
3. I met the woman ______ house is on the corner.
4. Do you know ______ late again?
5. ______ taken my umbrella?

✅ Answers:

1. Who’s (Who is)
2. Whose (ownership: car)
3. Whose (ownership: house)
4. Who’s (Who is)
5. Who’s (Who has)

💡 Learning Tip:

Pro Tip:

• If you can replace it with “who is” or “who has”, use who’s.
• If you’re asking who something belongs to, use whose.

🎯 Mnemonic:

✏️ “Whose” owns.
✏️ “Who’s” = who is / who has