Who vs. Whom: What’s the Difference?

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Who vs. Whom: What’s the Difference?

As a proofreader and editor, I often see who and whom being used incorrectly. However, there is an easy way for you to learn when to use who and when to use whom so that you can avoid making this common mistake.

Who is a subject pronoun.
Whom is an object pronoun.

Not sure what the significance of that is yet? This article will help you understand when to use who or whom as well as show you a quick trick for choosing the right word. Keep reading so that you never confuse who with whom again.

Table of Contents

A Quick Way to Remember the Difference between Whom and Who

Who and whom are both relative pronouns that are commonly confused with each other.

The simple trick for deciding whether to use who or whom is to replace the words with he/she or him/her. If he or she could be used in the sentence, who should be used. If him or her could be used, whom is correct.

Same goes for they or them.

They = who

Them = whom

Another way to remember which goes with which is to note that them and whom both end in M—as do him and whom.

How to Use Who Correctly

Who is a nominative pronoun that should be used to refer to the subject of the sentence. A nominative pronoun is the form of a pronoun that’s used to indicate that it’s the subject of the verb. Nominative or subject pronouns include I, you, he, she, it, we, they, who, and whoever.

What is the subject of the sentence? The subject is the person, place, or thing doing the action expressed by the verb. Example: She brought her flowers. She is the subject because she is doing the action.

Another grammar rule where subject vs. object is important is I vs. me.

Examples of Who in a Sentence

The woman who is standing by the window is our principal.

The woman is the subject of a sentence, and she is doing something. You can replace “the woman who” with “she,” so who is the right word here.

I don’t know who is going to be promoted next.

If you ask the question “Who is going to be promoted next?” the answer might be “He is/She is/They are.” He, she, and they are all subject pronouns, so who is the right word to use in this sentence.

Sometimes you need to reorder the sentence in order to figure out what the subject and object are.

How to Use Whom Correctly

Whom is an objective pronoun that should be used to refer to the object of the verb or preposition in the sentence. An objective or object pronoun is the form of a pronoun that’s used to indicate that it’s the object of a verb. Object pronouns include me, you, him, her, it, us, them, whom, and whomever.

What is the object of a sentence? The object is the person or thing having something done to them/it. Example: She brought her flowers. Flowers are the object because they are being brought to someone.

Examples of Whom in a Sentence

The girl whom I saw yesterday is going to be your sister-in-law someday.

If you ask the question “Who did you see yesterday?” the answer might be “I saw her yesterday.” Her is an object pronoun, so whom is the right word. Another way to think about it is to ask who is doing the action and who is having the action done to them. The girl was seen by someone else so that makes her the object of the sentence, which means that whom is the right word.

My neighbor, whom I have known since childhood, is a very good person.

Whom have you known since childhood? I’ve known him/her/them since childhood.

Which Is Correct: Whoever or Whomever?

Like who, whoever is a nominative pronoun, so it can be used as the subject of a sentence.

Whomever, like whom, is an objective pronoun, so it can be used as the object of a verb or a preposition.

Examples:

You may invite whomever you like.
Whoever wants to go home can do so.

What about who vs. that? I cover the difference between that vs. which vs. who in this blog post.

Is Whom Outdated?

It is not wrong to use whom, but it is often considered old-fashioned and stilted, especially in speech or informal writing.

Whom has been declining in popularity for a long time now. Because it’s not being used that often, it’s difficult for a lot of people to remember when to use it.

However, grammar prescriptivists are holding on to its usage, especially in formal writing.

So should you still use whom? In academic writing or when publishing content, it is advisable to follow the traditional rule; however, most people won’t raise an eyebrow if you use who instead in conversation or informal writing.

Who vs. Whom Quiz

Choose the best word to complete each sentence. The answers are at the bottom of this blog post.

Between Richard Gere and Harrison Ford, who/whom do you prefer?
The employee who/whom the boss chose to be manager was very happy.
The writer who/whom my mother admires most is John Steinbeck.
The students who/whom I taught last summer are very good players now.
Who/Whom do you think has the highest score on the test?

Final Thoughts on Who vs. Whom

To wrap it up, who should be used when referring to the subject of a sentence. Whom, on the other hand, should be used when referring to the object of a verb or preposition in a sentence.

Don’t forget the simple trick for choosing the right word: If you can replace the word with he/she/they, then who is the correct word to use. If you can replace the word with him/her/them, then whom is the correct word to use. And if you’re still not sure, use the M test!

I hope these tips and examples have helped make understanding how to use who and whom easier for you.

Who vs. Whom Quiz Answers

Between Richard Gere and Harrison Ford, who/whom do you prefer?
The employee who/whom the boss chose to be manager was very happy.
The writer who/whom my mother admires most is John Steinbeck.
The students who/whom I taught last summer are very good players now.
Who/Whom do you think has the highest score on the test?