A question word is a type of word placed at the beginning of a question. It indicates the type of information the person asking the question is looking for.
Visit the questions page to learn more on how to use question words.
How many vs. how much
| How many | how much | |
| Countable? | yes | no |
| To ask for a quantity | Represented by a number, something that can be counted. | Represented by a word or a number with a measuring unit. |
Adding a word for additional information
You can also add a noun to how many and how much for context, to make the question clearer.
| Question | Possible answers |
| How many times did you watch that movie? → Added noun: times → Asking for number of times | At least 20. |
| Once or twice. | |
| Too many times to count. | |
| How many cookies are left? → Added noun: cookies → Asking for number of cookies | 12. |
| None. | |
| Not enough to share, sorry. | |
| How many people were there? → Added noun: people → Asking for number of people | Around 50. |
| I counted 42. | |
| The place was jampacked | |
| How much time is left in the movie? → Added noun: time → Asking for time measurement | 20 minutes or so. |
| We’re about halfway through. | |
| More than I can handle. | |
| How much popcorn did you eat? → Added noun: popcorn → Asking for food quantity measurement | About half a large bag. |
| Just a few flakes. | |
| Maybe a little too much. | |
| How much did you pay for the popcorn? → Verb to pay implies price, money. → Asking for price measurement | 15 bucks. |
| As much as the movie ticket itself! | |
| More than I wanted to. |
Should I use what or which?
| Used when | What | Which |
| The number of options are | Unlimited | Limited |
| Too numerous to count | Clearly identified | |
| Unknown, not specified | Clearly stated, specified |
| Question | The answer is about |
| What animal is your favourite? | Any animal you can remember or imagine. |
| Which animal is your favourite? | An animal from a limited number of options. |
| What colour will you use? | One of the numerous colours available. Ex: a 100-marker set |
| Which colour will you use? | One of the smaller numbers of colours available. Ex: an 8-marker set |
| What food do you like best? | Any food, of any type, from anywhere. |
| Which food do you like best? | Food from a specified selection, type, origin… |
Table of content
How can be used with another word to make a question more specific.
Words added to how are usually adjectives or adverbs.
You can use any adjective or adverb in combination with how, as long as it makes sense in the context of the question.
| Question | Asking for |
| How old is this forest? | The age of the forest |
| How long was your walk? | The duration of the walk (time) or length of the walk (measurement) |
| How tall was the creature? | Height of the creature |
| How high can the creature jump? | Distance from the ground the creature can jump |
| How big was the sasquatch you saw? | The size of the creature |
| How fast did you run away? | The speed of the escape |
| How heavy is the creature? | The weight of the creature |
| How far did you run? | The running distance |
| How soon are you going back? | The duration of the wait before going again |
| How often have you seen it? | The number of times it was seen |
What, which and whose can be used with another word to create a more specific question.
Words added to them are nouns.
You can use any noun in combination with what, which and whose, as long as it makes sense in the context the question is used.
The difference between using what or which
| Implies the question is about | |
| What + noun | an unlimited, very numerous, unknown or unspecified number of options |
| Which + noun | a limited or a clearly stated, identified or specific number of options. |
| Question | Asking for |
| What time does class start? | A precise moment, a specific time. |
| What kind of food is your favourite? | To ask for a category, a classification. It can be any kind of food. |
| What sort of job are you looking for? | To ask for a category, a classification. It can be any type of job. |
| What day is you panio lesson? | To ask for a specific day or date. It can be any day. |
| What size do you wear? | To ask about dimension or scale. It can be any day. |
| Which colour should I choose? | To ask for a colour choice in a limited or predefined number of options. |
| Which one is better? | To ask for a choice of a single item when the options are obvious. Can also be used in the plural. |
| Which option will you pick? | To ask for a choice between a limited number of options to choose from. |
| Whose turn is it? | To ask about the position in a sequence, like in a game or discussion. |
| Whose book is this? | To ask about the ownership of the object. |
| Whose house is the closest? | To ask for the ownership of the place or to identify the owner of the place. |