Difference Between What and Which (With Table)

Usually, people use the English language to communicate with others. The sentences and the communication need some words like verbs, nouns, pronouns, and others. When we ask about something, we use the terms like What, Which, How, and some others. Here we can see the information on the words What and Which.  

What vs Which  

The main difference between What and Which is that What is a pronoun where an individual uses this to ask something in infinity criteria. Which is an adjective where an individual uses to ask for some information in limited data. Both the words What and Which had used to question but, the way of questions varies from each other.  

The What is a word that had categorized into Pronouns in the English Language. People prefer this to ask about the unknown and infinite things. There is no choice to choose while using the pronoun What. Apart from Pronoun, an individual will use this word as a determiner. Like a Pronoun, the word What can use as a subject, object, and complementary verb.  

In Contrast,’ Which’ is the term that had categorized as an adjective. The name Which had been used to ask about something to know in the limited data. We use the term Which when we want to perceive some information in the given limited data. The Adjective Which had been used when the clause had dropped and left the meaning of the sentence.  

Comparison Table Between What and Which  

Parameters of Comparison 

What   

Which 

Meaning 

The What is a word used to ask for some information in an unknown category. 

Which is a word used to know information by having limited data. 

Category   

It is a Pronoun that we use in the English Language. 

It is an Adjective. 

Usage 

If something poses too many replies, we use the pronoun What. 

If the query had to limit answers, an individual tries to use the Adjective Which. 

Difference   

It requires unlimited data that is no boundaries to answer. 

This adjective had used with boundary data.  

Examples   

What is your Surname?  What is your problem? 

Which hand will use to write?  Which flight are you taking to India?  

What is What?  

The What is a word that an individual uses to pose a question. The word What belongs to the Pronoun, where sometimes it acts as Determiner. Primarily the usage of the word What is to pose a question with unlimited data. When there are infinity answers to reply to a question, an individual chooses this pronoun to pose. The Pronoun What is used to question, inquiry and some others. Like a Pronoun, the term What can use as a subject, object, and complementary verb. People used to prefer this to ask about the unknown and infinite things. In the English Language, this pronoun plays a vital role in questioning. Questions may occur in two types, with infinity options and with limited options. An individual chooses this Pronoun to know the information with infinity options. Some of the examples on the Pronoun What are  

  • What is your ID Number?  
  • What are you doing?  
  • What do you want to eat now?  
  • What are the questions you are preparing for the test?  
  • What do you like the most about me?  
  • What day is your surgery?  

The term What will end with the question mark that allows the people to answer. Primarily the name What prefers to pose a question individually. A person who would like to ask something to a particular individual primarily uses the term What. What had been called an interrogative pronoun counters the question to others. The Pronoun What can pose the sentences like an offering, requesting, suggesting, when pronoun had added with some other related words. For example  

  • What about Sunday morning for a walk?  
  • What about going on vacation on holidays?   

The above questions say that an individual is offering and asking at the same time. These questions will pose to a group of people and sometimes for individuals too.  

What is Which?  

Which is the word that people had used to pose a question. It is well known as an Adjective, where sometimes it acts as determining term. All the people in the world who speak English use this Adjective to question something with limited answers. Instead of the name What, we use Which when the question has a few options to choose from. We use the term Which when we want to know some information in the given limited data. The Adjective Which had used when the clause had dropped and left the meaning of the sentence. Instead of the adjective Which, an individual uses the word That in sentences where it relates to the things that an individual knew. Some of the examples on the Adjective are  

  • Which shirt you are choosing for photos?  
  • In Which way you are going to the school?  
  • Which train are you taking to go?  
  • Which pair of dresses do you decide to wear to a party?  

In the above questions, we can observe that the questions are asking to the person. In question 1, an individual who chooses the dress for the photoshoot had limited options. So, we can say that the adjective Which had used to inquiry having some boundary options. Which will use in the paragraphs in inceptions where that sentence is incomplete. When a person asks the question by using the term Which, then the other will give the information about something within the multiples. An individual can ask questions to a group of people by using this adjective.  

Main Differences Between What and Which  

  1.  What is a pronoun used to pose a question, where Which belongs to Adjective use to pose a question.  
  2. The term What needs infinity answers, where the word Which requires multiple options.  
  3. Both What and Which are interrogative pronouns but, their usage varies from each other.  
  4. The information is unknown while using the Pronoun What, where there is some familiar information while the adjective Which.  
  5. What ends with a question mark where the term Which sometimes incomplete sentences in paragraphs.  

Conclusion  

The What is a word used to ask for some information in an unknown category. The term What belongs to the Pronoun, where sometimes it acts as Determiner. Primarily the usage of the word What is to pose a question with unlimited data. When there are infinity answers to reply to a question, an individual chooses the Pronoun to pose.  

Which is the term people had used to pose a question. It is well known as an Adjective, where sometimes it acts as determining term. All the people in the world who speak English use this Adjective to question something with limited answers. 

References

  1. https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.21832/9781788920193-003/html
  2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364661303000354