Which to use
“where” is an adverb and “where's” is a contraction - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #107
- “where” frequency rank
- #6,200
- “where's” frequency rank
- 6307
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | where | where's |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | In, at or to what place. | Contraction of where + is. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set where and where's apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: where is /ˈwɛɚ/ while where's is /wɛə(ɹ)z/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “where” sits inside “where's”, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs contraction), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6307, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
where is recorded at frequency rank #107, classified as anadv, pronounced /ˈwɛɚ/. where's is at rank #6,200, tagged as acontraction, pronounced /wɛə(ɹ)z/.
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 6307, this pair ranks #511,949 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of where vs where's
Shared letters: ehrw. Private to "where": -. Private to "where's": s.
"where" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "where's" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- where ← hwere · wehre · wheer · wherre · whhere · whree · wwhere
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "where" and "where's" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "where" or "where's"?
Remembering where vs where's
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “where”; for a contraction, it's “where's”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “where” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable