# who

/ˈhu/ (US) · /hˈuː/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/who
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. asking for identity

pronoun · CEFR A1

you use this to ask which person or people did something.

For teachers: an interrogative pronoun used to request the identity of a person or group of people.

- Who is that man standing by the door?
- Who was responsible for authorizing the expenditure without consulting the board of directors first?

Usage: Used as the subject of a sentence or question.

Teaching tip: While 'whom' is technically correct for objects, 'who' is the standard choice for almost all modern spoken contexts.

### 2. adding information

pronoun · CEFR A1

you use this to give more details about a person you just mentioned.

For teachers: a relative pronoun used to introduce a clause that provides more information about a human antecedent.

- The woman who lives next door is a famous doctor.
- The candidates who successfully complete the first round of interviews will be invited back for a technical assessment.

Usage: Introduces a relative clause.

Teaching tip: Remind students that 'who' is for people and 'which' is for things, though 'that' can sometimes be used for both.

### 3. the identity of a person

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

the identity of a person, often used when the person is unknown.

For teachers: the identity or specific person involved in a situation, often used in phrases concerning mystery or investigation.

- The police are still trying to find out the who and the why of the crime.
- The mystery isn't just about the how, but the who—identifying the person behind the anonymous letters.

Usage: Often used in the phrase 'the who, what, where, and why'.

Teaching tip: This noun use is idiomatic and usually appears alongside other question words treated as nouns.

## Examples

- Who is that person standing by the door?
- The manager is looking for the employee who left the office lights on last night.
- Scholars often debate who actually authored the plays attributed to Shakespeare, citing stylistic inconsistencies that suggest a collaborative effort rather than a single hand.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.