we'revswho'reWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“we're” and “who're” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#394
“we're” frequency rank
#34,747
“who're” frequency rank
35141
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature we're who're
Definition Contraction of we + are. Who are.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set we're and who're apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
we're
6 ch
who're

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. we're (/wɪə/) and who're ([hʊɚ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35141, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

we're is recorded at frequency rank #394, classified as acontraction, pronounced /wɪə/. who're is at rank #34,747, tagged as acontraction, pronounced [hʊɚ].

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 35141, this pair ranks #314,535 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of we're vs who're

Shared letters: erw. Private to "we're": -. Private to "who're": ho.

"we're" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "who're" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV

Frequency comparison

we're#394
who're#34,747

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "we're" and "who're" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/wɪə/ versus [hʊɚ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "we're" or "who're"?
"we're" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #394 in our English list, against #34,747 for "who're". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering we're vs who're

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “we're” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list