interrogative pronoun

grammar

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 16, 2026

Quick Summary

An interrogative pronoun is a word used to ask questions for which a noun is the answer. These pronouns include who, whom, whose, what, and which. Who, whom, and whose are used when asking about people, with who as the subjective form, whom as the objective, and whose as the possessive. What and which are used for things or ideas; what is more general, while which selects from a defined set. These words function as pronouns because they replace nouns.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

5 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

pronoun
Interrogative pronouns
Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions. They are who, whom, whose, what, and which. Who, whom, and whose ask questions about people, with who being the subjective form, whom being the objective, and whose being the possessive:
Read More
Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions. They are who, whom, whose, what, and which. Who, whom, and whose ask questions about people, with who being the subjective form, whom being the objective, and whose being the possessive:
Read More