which
Often confused with that
- 1Used to introduce a relative clause about a thing (not a person) just mentioned, either identifying it or adding extra information.
We stayed at the old inn, which has stood there for three centuries.
The report, on the basis of which the plan was approved, has now been withdrawn.
UsageFor things, not people: the house which I bought, but the man who helped me (not
incorrect: the man which). - 2Used in questions to ask what one or ones of a set mentioned or implied.
Which one is yours, the blue car or the gray one?
Ask her which platform the train leaves from.
UsageWhich picks from a known set of choices; what asks more openly: which bus, the 10 or the 12?
Similarwhat
Note
The question word for choosing goes back to Old English hwelċ, built from the roots of who and like, so it first asked 'like what?' or 'of what kind?'. Today it narrows to picking among options already in view.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- Which descends from Old English hwelċ and an ancestor meaning 'what kind' or literally 'like what'. en.wiktionary.org
- The word combines ancestral elements corresponding to who and like. en.wiktionary.org
- 3Introducing a comment on a whole preceding clause or statement rather than on a noun.
It rained all week, which is why the match was postponed.
They refused to negotiate, which left us with no choice.
UsagePut a comma before the clause. When which is its subject, use a singular verb: He didn't reply, which was odd.
Note
Here the pronoun points back to a whole event rather than a thing: in 'the front door was open, which worried me,' what worries the speaker is the door's being open.
Less common meanings
- 4What one or ones out of a known or implied set, in a direct or indirect question.
We have two flights to Denver to choose from; which would you rather take?
Of the three candidates, which did the committee choose?
UsageOften which of: which of these is yours? The idiom which is which sorts out things that look alike.
- 5Used in formal writing before a noun, in a relative clause, to refer back precisely to something just mentioned.
The deal was signed in March, by which point prices had already risen.
The phones use a new chip, which fact the maker advertises loudly.
UsageCommon in fixed phrases: at which point, by which time.
Note
Formal prose keeps this construction for exactness. A noun follows right after the relative word, as in which language or which fact, so the reader knows exactly what is being picked up. Outside fixed phrases like by which time it can sound stiff, yet it is far from dead: a 2015 newspaper review still writes of Intel processors, 'which fact they proudly announce.' Casual writing drops the noun and uses the ordinary relative pronoun.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts
- The newspaper review containing the example was published in 2015. en.wiktionary.org
- The review discusses Intel processors and contains the exact words quoted. en.wiktionary.org
- 6
- 7Whichever one or ones, or the one or ones that; now uncommon.
Similarwhichever
Note
A relative with its antecedent folded inside it: in take which you please, there is no earlier noun for the word to point back to, because the pronoun supplies its own.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- In this construction, the relative pronoun incorporates its antecedent instead of referring back to a separate noun. en.wikipedia.org
- 8Used in older English to refer to a person in a relative clause, where 'who' or 'that' is now used.
Note
Earlier English used this pronoun for people in comment clauses, and the habit is now chiefly archaic, since who or whom is what readers expect. It lingers with nouns we may also call it, such as a baby or a child, so 'a young child, which cried incessantly' still reads naturally. 'Our neighbor, which had lived there', by contrast, sounds old or wrong. Older texts also use it without commas, to pick out which person is meant.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts
- Older English used relative 'which' for people where 'who' or 'whom' would be used. gutenberg.org
- Older texts also used 'which' restrictively to identify a person. gutenberg.org
- 9Used to join a clause to what comes before, where standard English would use 'and' or 'but'.
I told him to wait, which he went ahead anyway.
She's from the same town as me, which we never actually met there.
Note
A spoken habit in which the relative pronoun loosens into a plain link between clauses. The giveaway is that the second clause stays complete on its own. In 'which I wouldn't do it for less than fifteen', the it is still there, so nothing actually refers back.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- The quoted wording is documented as an example of conjunctional 'which' meaning 'and' or 'but'. en.wiktionary.org
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origin
Old English hwelċ ("which") became Middle English which. It goes back to Proto-Germanic *hwilīkaz, meaning "what kind" or literally "like what," a form built from a root meaning "who" plus "like." Scots whilk, Dutch welk, German welcher and Swedish vilken are related.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 7 facts
- Old English hwelċ meant “which” and developed into Middle English which. en.wiktionary.org
- The word descends from Proto-Germanic *hwilīkaz, meaning “what kind” or literally “like what.” en.wiktionary.org
- The Proto-Germanic form combines an element from a word meaning “who” with an element meaning “like.” en.wiktionary.org
- Scots whilk is related to English which. en.wiktionary.org
- Dutch welk is related to English which. en.wiktionary.org
- German welcher is related to English which. en.wiktionary.org
- Swedish vilken is related to English which. en.wiktionary.org