different between whose vs their

English

Etymology

From Middle English whos, from Old English hwæs, from Proto-Germanic *hwes, genitive case of *hwaz (“who”) *hwat (“what”).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /hu?z/
• Rhymes: -u?z
• Homophones: who's, whos

Determiner

whose

1. (interrogative) Of whom, belonging to whom.

2. (relative) Of whom, belonging to whom.

   (= This man's dog caused the accident.)

   Venus, whose sister Serena is, won the latest championship.
3. (relative) Of which, belonging to which.

   (= The roofs were falling off several houses that we saw.)

Translations

Pronoun

whose

1. (interrogative) Of whom, belonging to whom.

2. (relative, rare) Of whom, belonging to whom.
   • 1833, Tait's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 3, page 637 (Google Books view):

     If he starts it on another man's lands, and kills it there, it belongs to the owner of the land; but if he start game on one man's lands, and pursue it to those of another, and kill it there, it is neither the property of the man on whose lands it is started, nor of him on whose it is killed, but belongs to the killer.

   • 1895, Library Journal, Volume 20, page 397 (Google Books view):

     The notes on authors are extremely brilliant and incisive, not always in good perspective and sometimes freaky in their wit, as, for instance, the reference to Mrs. Holmes, of whose books it is said, "The secret of their long popularity has never been divulged by their readers," and Mrs. Harris, of whose it is said, "To a lively mind they should be conducive of profound sleep," which, whatever its faults, is by no means true of "Rutledge."

Translations

Anagrams

• Howes, Howse, howes, showe, whoes

English

Alternative forms

• thair, theire, theyr, theyre, thir (archaic)

Etymology

From Old Norse þeirra. Replaced native Old English heora.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ð??(?)/, /ð??(?)/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ð??/
• Rhymes: -??(?)
• Homophones: there, they're

Determiner

their

1. Belonging to, from, of, or relating to, them (plural).

2. Belonging to someone (one person, singular).
   • 1594, Shakespeare, William, The Comedy of Errors, act IV, scene 3, line 1172:

     There's not a man I meet but doth salute me
     As if I were their well-acquainted friend […]

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:their.

Usage notes

• Regarding the use of singular their, see they.
• The words their, there, and they're are homophones in most English accents today. This often causes confusion between the three in writing.

Related terms

• they, them (personal pronouns, subject and object case)
• theirs (possessive pronoun)

Translations

Adverb

their

1. Misspelling of there.

Contraction

their

1. Misspelling of they’re.

See also

Anagrams

• Erith, Reith, Rieth, rithe, tehri, theri-

Middle English

Determiner

their

1. Alternative form of þeir

Scottish Gaelic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /he?r/

Verb

their

1. future of abair

Usage notes

• The dependent form is abair.