Who vs Whom: Explained with Easy Examples

Article Summary

• The difference between who vs whom depends on grammar role: who is used as the subject performing an action, while whom functions as the object, receiving the action, making sentence structure—not formality—the key deciding factor.
• The easiest way to choose between who and whom is the he/him rule—if the answer fits he/she/they, use who; if it fits him/her/them, use whom, a method reinforced through step-by-step examples.
• In modern usage, who is common in spoken English, while whom appears more in formal, academic, and professional writing, especially after prepositions like to, with, for, and by, helping avoid common grammar mistakes in exams.

Have you ever paused mid-sentence and rewritten the sentence to avoid the confusion between “who” and “whom”? These two tiny words has ben conduing and stressing students for years, as they both sound similar and look familiar. And honestly, most of the students just guess and hope for the best while choosing between the two.

In this blog, we will help you to remove this confusion in the easiest way possible so that you no longer get confused between the two words. Using the right word at the right place will also help you to make your grammar sound formal and professional, instead of looking like a bundle of silly mistakes.

What Does “Who” Mean?

“Who” is a pronoun we use to talk about a person. It helps us ask questions or add information about someone doing an action.

“Who” works as the subject of a sentence, the person performing the action.

Think of it like this:
If the answer could be he, she, or they, then who is correct?

“Who” replaces the subject, just like:

• He is calling.
• She won the prize.
• They are coming.

Simple examples

• Who is knocking at the door?
• She is the teacher who explains everything clearly.
• Who made this delicious food?

In all these sentences, ‘who’ refers to the person doing something.

What Does “Whom” Mean?

“Whom” is also used for people, but it refers to the person receiving the action, not doing it.

“Whom” works as the object in a sentence, the person affected by the action.

A simple trick:
If the answer could be him, her, or them, use whom.

Simple examples

• Whom did you call last night?
  (You called him/her.)
• She is the student whom the teacher praised.
  (The teacher praised her.)
• To whom should I send the email?
  (Send it to him/her/them.)

So remember:
Who = subject (he/she/they)
Whom = object (him/her/them)

Who vs Whom: Key Differences

Understanding who vs whom becomes easy when you see their grammar roles side by side. Here’s a simple comparison to remove confusion between the Who or Whom.

Feature	Who	Whom
Grammar role	Subject of the sentence	Object of the sentence
Replaces	He / She / They	Him / Her / Them
Position in sentence	Usually comes before a verb	Often comes after a preposition or verb
Function	Person doing the action	Person receiving the action
Example	Who called you?	Whom did you call?
Question clue	Who is going?	To whom are you speaking?

Also Read: What are Relative Pronouns? Your Complete Guide

The Easiest Trick to Remember Who vs Whom

Let’s make this super simple with one rule that will help you to remember the difference between Who vs Whom.

The “he/him” rule

This is the fastest way to decide

• If you can replace the word with ‘he’, use ‘who’
• If you can replace it with him, use whom

Step-by-step trick

1. Answer the question in your head.
2. Use ‘he/him’ in the answer.
3. Match it back.

Quick practice examples

Now practise these questions to check your understanding of this concept.

1. ____ is coming to the party?
Answer: He is coming.
Correct: Use ‘who’ → Who is coming to the party?

2. You gave the book to ____?
Answer: You gave the book to him.
Correct: Use ‘whom’. → To whom did you give the book?

3. ____ wrote this email?
Answer: He wrote it.
Correct: Who wrote this email?

4. ____ are you waiting for?
Answer: I am waiting for him.
Correct: Whom are you waiting for?

When to Use “Who”?

The word ‘who’ is used when we are talking about the person doing the action in a sentence.

If you are talking about the subject of a sentence, use ‘Who’ when the person is performing the action.

• Who is calling me?
• Who made this cake?
• Who broke the window?

Asking questions

Most questions about a person use who. If the answer could be he, she, or they, then you should use who. Look at the examples given to you below:

• Who is your teacher?
• Who lives next door?
• Who wants coffee?

Relative clauses

‘Who’ connects extra information about a person. You can use ‘Who” to add detail about the subject in a sentence. Look at the examples given to you below:

• She is the girl who won the prize.
• I met a man who works at ISRO.
• He’s the friend who helped me.

Examples in daily conversation

• Who is at the door?
• Who called you last night?
• Do you know who she is?
• Who is coming with us?

When to Use “Whom”?

‘Whom’ is used for the person receiving the action. It sounds more formal and appears often in written or professional English. You can use ‘Whom’ in the following contexts mentioned to you.

After prepositions (to, for, with, by)

When a preposition comes before the word, ‘whom’ is usually correct. Look at the examples given to you below:

• To whom it may concern
• With whom are you travelling?
• The person for whom this gift is meant
• By whom was this decision made?

As an object in formal English

Use ‘whom’ when the person is the object of the verb. Look at the examples given to you below:

• Whom did you invite?
• Whom are they selecting?
• Whom should I contact?

Examples from professional and academic contexts

• The candidate whom we interviewed was selected.
• The professor whom you emailed will respond soon.
• The author, whom critics admire, won an award.
• The manager to whom you report is on leave.

Who vs Whom in Questions

Questions are where most learners get confused. The key is to see who is doing the action and who is receiving it. You will be able to understand it in a better way by looking at the examples below:

Example 1:
Who is coming?
Here, who is the subject. The person is doing the action (coming).

Example 2:
Whom are you meeting?
Here, whom is the object. You are doing the action. The other person receives it.

Here is the step-by-step breakdown to make it easy for you to understand.

1. Find the verb – What action is happening?
2. Identify the doer – Who performs the action? → Use who
3. Identify the receiver – Who gets the action? → Use whom
4. Try the he/him trick
   • If “he” fits → who
   • If “him” fits → whom

Example:
You are meeting him → So, whom are you meeting?

Who vs Whom in Relative Clauses

Relative clauses add extra information about a person. Understand the given sentences:

The person who called…
Here, who is the subject of “called.” That person did the action.

The student whom I helped…
Here, I did the helping. The student received the action → whom.

Formal vs Informal Usage

Understand the formal and informal usage of ‘Who’ and ’Whom’ in a sentence. Modern English often replaces whom with who, but in exams, formal writing, and professional documents, using whom correctly shows strong grammar skills.

Context	Preferred Word
Casual conversation	Who (even as object)
Academic writing	Whom for objects
Professional emails	Whom in a formal tone
Spoken English	Mostly who

Also Read: Formation of Adjectives from Nouns, Verbs, Prefixes, and Suffixes

Common Student Mistakes While Using “Who” or “Whom”

This topic confuses many learners, not because it’s hard, but because sentence structure gets ignored along with the right rules to use ‘Who’ and ‘Whom’. Here are the most common mistakes that students make while using “Who” or “Whom”

1. Choosing based on sound, not grammar

Students often pick “whom” because it sounds more formal or advanced.

Wrong: Whom is calling me?
Correct: Who is calling me?

Rule: If the word is doing the action (subject), always use who.

2. Forgetting to find the real subject

In questions, students get confused by word order.

Example: ___ did you call?
Many say who, but you is the subject. The blank word receives the action → whom.

3. Ignoring the he/him rule

Learners forget the easiest trick.

If you can say he → use who
If you can say him → use whom

Example: You called him → Whom did you call?

4. Mistakes after prepositions

After words like to, with, for, by, students still use who.

Wrong: To who did you speak?
Correct: To whom did you speak?

5. Overcorrecting in informal speech

In daily English, people often say:

Who are you talking to? (acceptable in conversation)

Students sometimes force whom everywhere, even when it sounds unnatural.

Practice Sentences for ‘Who’ and ‘Whom’

Test yourself! Choose who or whom with the sentences.

1. ___ called you last night?
2. ___ did you meet at the conference?
3. The teacher ___ helped me was very kind.
4. To ___ should I address this email?
5. She is the one ___ everyone admires.
6. ___ is responsible for this project?
7. The friend with ___ I traveled lives abroad.

Answers:

1. Who
2. Whom
3. Who
4. Whom
5. Whom
6. Who
7. Whom

FAQs

Related Reads:

Adjective vs. Adverb in English Grammer	Abstract and Concrete Noun Worksheet
30+ Nouns that Start with Q to Improve English Language	Learn About the Duolingo English Test
Nominative Case in English Grammar	How to Score 150+ in Duolingo English Test in 2 Week?

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