It’s a long-confused duo: who vs. whom. These two little words can even confuse native English speakers, but fear not—by the end of this, you’ll be the expert!

The Basics

Who is used as the subject of a sentence. It's the doer of the action.

Example:

• Who ate my last biscuit? (The culprit ate it!)

Whom is used as the object of a verb or preposition. It’s the receiver of the action.

Example:

• Whom did you invite to the party? (They’re the lucky guest!)

A Quick Tip: Subject vs. Object

To figure out whether to use who or whom, try answering the question with he/she or him/her:

✅If the answer is he/she, use who.

• Who called you? → He called me.

✅If the answer is him/her, use whom.

• Whom did you see? → I saw him.

Common Situations

1. In Formal Writing or Speech

   • Who wrote this article?

   • To whom it may concern…

1. In Casual Conversations (Spoiler: Whom is rare here!)
   Most people use who even when they mean whom.

Example:

• Who did you send it to?

(Technically, it’s Whom did you send it to?, but who is widely accepted!)

Usage Tips

1. Stick with (=continue) "who" in casual settings.
   Unless you’re writing a formal letter or trying to impress your English teacher, who usually works.

2. "Whom" is a formal friend.
   Use it in writing or when following prepositions like to, for, or with.
   Example: With whom are you going to the concert?

3. Be forgiving!
   Even native speakers avoid whom most of the time. It’s better to sound natural than overly formal!

So next time you’re not sure, remember these tips—they’ll guide you to the right choice every time!

Got a question?

Seen a word, phrase or slang term that you didn’t quite understand? Need an explanation about something you heard in English?