which
gb/wˈɪt͡ʃ/ us/wˈɪt͡ʃ/
A1
English
~ 100
Senses
0 senses
pronoun
A1
relation
1
introduces a choice or option
Used to talk about one or more things from a group that is already known.
Usage pattern:
Which [noun] do you want?
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'which' with 'what'. Use 'which' when the choices are known or limited, and 'what' when they are not.
Synonyms
what (Used more generally when the set of options is not known or specified.)
Collocations
which one
|which way
|which time
|which book
Themes
daily life
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Which shirt do you prefer, the blue one or the red one?
- I can't remember which road leads to the beach.
- Do you know which movie won the award?
Learner examples
- Which color do you like?
- Which bus goes to the city?
- Which day is your birthday?
pronoun
A2
relation
2
introduces information about a thing/animal
Used to give more details about a thing or animal already mentioned.
Usage pattern:
[main clause], which [verb] ...
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use 'which' for people. Use 'who' for people and 'which' for things or animals.
Synonyms
that ('That' can also introduce relative clauses but is less formal and often used in defining clauses.)
Collocations
which was
|which means
|which makes
|which includes
Themes
communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- I bought a new phone, which has a great camera.
- The hotel, which overlooks the sea, is fully booked.
- She adopted a cat, which was very friendly.
Learner examples
- I read a book, which was very good.
- We went to a park, which had many trees.
- He made a cake, which tasted nice.
determiner
A1
relation
3
selecting from known choices
Used before a noun to choose from things already known.
Usage pattern:
Which [noun] is [adjective]?
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes omit 'which' when asking questions about known choices, making the question unclear.
Synonyms
what ('What' is used when the options are not known or specified.)
Collocations
which way
|which time
|which route
Themes
daily life
|core_vocabulary
|communication
Examples
- Which route should we take to the airport?
- Can you tell me which room is ours?
- Which train goes to London?
Learner examples
- Which bus goes to school?
- Which shop sells milk?
- Which game do you want to play?
Grammar
Dictionary form
which
IPA
GB/wˈɪt͡ʃ/
US/wˈɪt͡ʃ/
Syllables & stress
which (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (which)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: which
- Plural: whiches
Word family
Forms
whiches
noun
Related words
whichever
pronoun/determiner B1
Expressions
which is which
1/wˈɪt͡ʃ ˈɪz wˈɪt͡ʃ/
fixed phrase
identify each item correctly
To know exactly which thing is each one in a pair or group.
Examples
- The twins look so similar that I can't tell which is which.
- Make sure you label the jars so you know which is which.
which way the wind blows
1/wˈɪt͡ʃ wˈeɪ ðə wˈɪnd blˈoʊz/
idiom
understand situation before acting
To understand what is happening or what people think before deciding what to do.
Examples
- He’s waiting to see which way the wind blows before announcing his decision.
- You should find out which way the wind blows before investing.