Whose vs Who’s

Let’s get straight to this week’s pair of easily confused words.

We use whose when we are trying to find out who something belongs to or is associated with.

Whose jacket is this?

This car is parked illegally and I need to know whose it is.

and also

Whose round is it?

It can also be used as follows:

The manager is a man whose opinions I don’t necessarily agree with but I respect him all the same.

Who’s is short for who is or who has. The apostrophe here indicates that one of the words has been shortened. In this case it is either has or is.

I don’t know who’s making those silly noises but they need to stop now.

I’m going to see who’s at the door.

I must find out who’s left a parcel for me.

These words are so easy to confuse as both are related to the word who. The main thing you need to remember is that whose is possessive (related to something belonging to someone) and who’s is short for who is or who has.