Which to use
“what're” and “who're” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #34,348
- “what're” frequency rank
- #34,747
- “who're” frequency rank
- 69095
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | what're | who're |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Contraction of what + are. | Who are. |
Where the eye mixes what're and who're
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. what're runs 6 letters (CCVCCV) against who're's 5 (CCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between what're and who're
A purely visual mix-up. what're ([ˈwʌɾɚ]) 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 69095, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
what're is recorded at frequency rank #34,348, classified as acontraction, pronounced [ˈwʌɾɚ]. 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 69095, this pair ranks #56,004 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of what're vs who're
Shared letters: ehrw. Private to "what're": at. Private to "who're": o.
"what're" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV · "who're" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "what're" for "who're" ever safe?
Which is more common, "what're" or "who're"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "what're" and "who're" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "what're" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "who're" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #56,004 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "what're" and "who're" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "who're vs whorl". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #56,004 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.