Who vs. Whom: The He/Him Test and When to Use Each

Use who when the word is the subject of a verb (the one doing the action) and whom when it's the object (the one receiving the action or following a preposition). The quickest check: if you could answer with he or she, use who; if you'd answer with him or her, use whom. Whom and him both end in m, which makes the test easy to remember.

The he/him test

Turn the question into an answer, or the clause into a short sentence, and see which pronoun fits.

They and them work for the test too: they = who, them = whom.

The test works because English pronouns change form depending on their role. He, she, they and who are subject forms. Him, her, them and whom are object forms. You already pick between he and him without thinking; the test lets you borrow that instinct.

Questions: move the words around

Questions are tricky because the pronoun comes first, before the verb it belongs to. Rearrange the question into a statement and the answer becomes obvious.

• "Who/whom are you meeting?" becomes "You are meeting him." Object, so whom are you meeting?
• "Who/whom called earlier?" becomes "She called earlier." Subject, so who called earlier?
• "Who/whom is this gift for?" becomes "This gift is for her." Object of for, so whom is this gift for? (or, more formally, for whom is this gift?)

Clauses: test only the clause

Inside a longer sentence, who or whom often starts a clause, a group of words with its own verb. Here's the rule that clears up most confusion: the choice depends on the pronoun's role inside its own clause, not in the whole sentence.

Take this sentence:

The student ___ won the prize is my cousin.

Isolate the clause: "___ won the prize." Answer it: "She won the prize." Subject, so who.

The student ___ the committee chose is my cousin.

Isolate the clause: "the committee chose ___." Rearranged: "The committee chose her." Object, so whom.

Two more examples:

• "I'm not sure ___ to invite." → "invite them" → whom to invite.
• "She's the colleague ___ always answers first." → "she always answers first" → who always answers first.

Watch out for "I think" and "they said"

A phrase like I think, we believe or people say often sits inside a clause without changing it. Mentally remove it before you test.

The candidate ___ I think is most qualified withdrew.

Remove "I think": "___ is most qualified." Answer: "He is most qualified." So who, even though "I think" seems to put the pronoun in an object position. Writing "whom I think is most qualified" is a very common hypercorrection.

Whoever vs. whomever

The same test applies, with one twist: the clause after a preposition can still need the subject form.

Give the keys to ___ arrives first.

It's tempting to write whomever because of to. But the object of to is the whole clause, "___ arrives first." Inside that clause, the pronoun is the subject of arrives: "He arrives first." So it's whoever.

Invite ___ you like.

Inside the clause: "you like them." Object, so whomever (formally). In casual writing, "invite whoever you like" is common and accepted.

Formal vs. casual English

Whom has been fading from everyday English for a long time, and most modern usage guides accept who in casual speech and writing even where traditional grammar calls for whom. "Who did you see at the party?" won't raise an eyebrow in a text, a chat message or a relaxed email.

Here's a practical way to decide:

That last option is underrated. If "the client with whom I've been working" feels too formal and "the client who I've been working with" feels too loose, try "the client I've been working with." Dropping the pronoun is grammatical and often reads more naturally. The Sentence Rewriter can suggest a few alternatives when a sentence feels awkward either way.

Common mistakes

• "Whom should I say is calling?" The clause is "___ is calling," so it's who.
• "To who it may concern." Directly after to, so it's to whom it may concern.
• "The man whom we believe stole the car." Remove "we believe" and you get "___ stole the car," so it's who.
• "Who did you give it to?" Fine in conversation; in formal writing, to whom did you give it?

Quick quiz

1. ___ left the door open?
2. ___ did the professor recommend?
3. The author ___ we interviewed lives in Ohio.
4. The author ___ wrote this lives in Ohio.
5. Send the form to ___ is in charge.
6. To ___ should I address the letter?

Answers: 1. Who (he left). 2. Whom (recommended him). 3. Whom (interviewed her). 4. Who (she wrote). 5. Whoever (he is in charge). 6. Whom (address it to him).

Check your draft

Who and whom are both real words, so a simple spellchecker won't flag the wrong one. Search your draft for "whom" first, since overusing it is a more common slip than leaving it out, and run the he/him test on each one. A context-aware grammar checker can help too: ZeroTell's Grammar Checker can help catch grammar slips like this one and, if you choose corrections with explanations, gives a short reason for each change.

Grammar CheckerFix grammar and phrasing

For other words that trip up careful writers, read affect vs. effect and its vs. it's, or start with our comma rules guide.

Key takeaways

• Who = subject (he, she, they). Whom = object (him, her, them).
• Rearrange questions into statements, then test.
• In longer sentences, test only the clause the pronoun belongs to.
• Ignore inserted phrases like "I think" when you test.
• Casual writing can use who throughout; formal writing and post-preposition positions call for whom.