what vs which

what vs which
  If you are trying to make a choice, what is used to ask when there are an unknown number or infinite possibilities for an answer. You know that there are many, many ways that exist to address your question, and you make - from all the possibilities, and you might not even know about some of them - the best choice.
  For example: "What movie did you go to see?"
  Which is used if you are choosing between a more limited number of items, already defined, like this:
  For example: "Which shoes should I wear with this dress-my blue ones or my black ones?"
  You can use which when you have a very small or limited field to choose from. Certainly use which, not what, when there are only two choices, or if both speaker and listener can visualize all the items under consideration:
  For example: "Which foot did you break?"
  Often which or what can be used for several choices, depending on what is in the speaker's mind:
  For example:-
  a - "Which bus goes into the centre?"
  b - "What bus shall I take?"
  Both sentences are fine. The speaker is probably thinking about fewer buses in sentence (a) than in sentence (b).
  See that vs who, that vs which

English dictionary of common mistakes and confusing words. 2014.

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  • which — I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, of what kind, which, from Old English hwilc; akin to Old High German wilīh of what kind, which, Old English hwā who, gelīk like more at who, like Date: before 12th century 1. being what one or ones out of a …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • what's what — or[what is what] {n. phr.}, {informal} 1. What each thing is in a group; one thing from another. * /The weeds and the flowers are coming up together, and we can t tell what is what./ 2. All that needs to be known about something; the important… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • what's what — or[what is what] {n. phr.}, {informal} 1. What each thing is in a group; one thing from another. * /The weeds and the flowers are coming up together, and we can t tell what is what./ 2. All that needs to be known about something; the important… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • What If (comics) — What If , sometimes rendered as What If...? , is the title of several comic book series published by Marvel Comics, exploring the road not traveled by its various characters. Events in the series are considered separate from mainstream continuity …   Wikipedia

  • What Where — is Samuel Beckett s last play produced following a request for a new work for the 1983 Autumn Festival in Graz, Austria. It was written between February and March 1983 initially in French as Quoi où and translated by Beckett himself. ynopsisThe… …   Wikipedia

  • What — What, pron., a., & adv. [AS. hw[ae]t, neuter of hw[=a] who; akin to OS. hwat what, OFries. hwet, D. & LG. wat, G. was, OHG. waz, hwaz, Icel. hvat, Sw. & Dan. hvad, Goth. hwa. [root]182. See {Who}.] [1913 Webster] 1. As an interrogative pronoun,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • What ho — What What, pron., a., & adv. [AS. hw[ae]t, neuter of hw[=a] who; akin to OS. hwat what, OFries. hwet, D. & LG. wat, G. was, OHG. waz, hwaz, Icel. hvat, Sw. & Dan. hvad, Goth. hwa. [root]182. See {Who}.] [1913 Webster] 1. As an interrogative… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • What if — What What, pron., a., & adv. [AS. hw[ae]t, neuter of hw[=a] who; akin to OS. hwat what, OFries. hwet, D. & LG. wat, G. was, OHG. waz, hwaz, Icel. hvat, Sw. & Dan. hvad, Goth. hwa. [root]182. See {Who}.] [1913 Webster] 1. As an interrogative… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • What of it — What What, pron., a., & adv. [AS. hw[ae]t, neuter of hw[=a] who; akin to OS. hwat what, OFries. hwet, D. & LG. wat, G. was, OHG. waz, hwaz, Icel. hvat, Sw. & Dan. hvad, Goth. hwa. [root]182. See {Who}.] [1913 Webster] 1. As an interrogative… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • What of that — What What, pron., a., & adv. [AS. hw[ae]t, neuter of hw[=a] who; akin to OS. hwat what, OFries. hwet, D. & LG. wat, G. was, OHG. waz, hwaz, Icel. hvat, Sw. & Dan. hvad, Goth. hwa. [root]182. See {Who}.] [1913 Webster] 1. As an interrogative… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • What of this — What What, pron., a., & adv. [AS. hw[ae]t, neuter of hw[=a] who; akin to OS. hwat what, OFries. hwet, D. & LG. wat, G. was, OHG. waz, hwaz, Icel. hvat, Sw. & Dan. hvad, Goth. hwa. [root]182. See {Who}.] [1913 Webster] 1. As an interrogative… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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