“Whats” vs “what’s”. So, what’s this all about, and which “what” is correct? In this article, we’ll look at the difference between “whats” and “what’s” so that you know which you should use in your writing.
The short answer is that “whats” is not a word and the correct option is “what’s”. “What’s” is a contraction, which is a shortened form of two words. To make a contraction, you always need to add an apostrophe. The apostrophe indicates the omission of one or more letters.
What’s
“What’s” is a contraction for “what is” or “what has”.
For what is, the apostrophe replaces the i. For example, you could say “What’s for dinner?”, or “What’s your phone number?”, or “What’s the best way to sign off an email?”
In the case of what has, the apostrophe replaces the ha. For example, you could say “What’s James been up to lately?”, or “What’s been discussed so far in this meeting?”, or “What’s happened here?”
Common examples of what’s in a sentence (what is)
- What’s your name?
- What’s your phone number?
- What’s your address?
- What’s the time?
- What’s the weather like?
- What’s on TV?
- What’s for dinner?
- Do you know what’s going on?
Whats
“Whats” is not a word and if you see it used it’s most likely a misspelling or grammatical error. You always need to add the apostrophe before the “s” to make it correct, and if you see “whats” without an apostrophe in an email or message it’s most likely because the person has typed too fast and accidentally not included the apostrophe to make it “what’s”. To avoid errors like this yourself, always check your writing or use a grammar checker like Grammarly.
Whats vs What’s
The only correct version of the word is “what’s”, so just stick to using this and make sure you spell it correctly!
What’s vs What is
“What’s” tends to be used in speech or more informal pieces of writing. If you are writing more formally, like in an essay or a report, you might want to consider using “what is”.
Conclusion: What’s all the fuss about?
“What’s” is the correct way of writing what is or what has as a contraction and tends to be used in speech or more informal pieces of writing.
“Whats” without an apostrophe is grammatically incorrect and not a word. If you see it used it’s most likely a spelling mistake or typo, so always make sure that you check your work or messages to avoid this!
James has been helping people teach English abroad for over twelve years. He’s traveled to over 30 countries, lived in 3, and taught English in Chile and online.
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