Who else or Whom else: Which Is Correct?
Updated · Which One Is Correct editorial team
Quick answer: You should almost always choose who else. This form is standard in nearly every sentence today. While whom else exists for strict grammar rules, it feels stiff and outdated to most modern readers and writers alike.
The Short Answer
Who else is standard in almost every sentence. You can confidently use this form in both casual conversation and professional writing without fear of making a grammatical error.
People confuse them because of old-school rules that demand whom for objects. However, language has evolved, and using whom in everyday speech often sounds pretentious or overly formal to native speakers.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Form | Status | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| who else | Standard | Writing or speaking naturally |
| whom else | Formal | Following strict traditional rules |
| who else | Subject | The person performs the action |
| whom else | Object | The person receives the action |
Correct Example Sentences
- Who else wants to join our hiking group this weekend?
- Who else did you invite to the birthday party?
- I wonder who else knows about the surprise party.
- Who else could have left these notes on the desk?
- Who else is available to help with the project?
- Who else do you think will vote for this proposal?
- Who else has seen the latest episode of that show?
- Who else might be interested in buying our old car?
- Who else can provide a reference for this job application?
- Who else is coming to the dinner party tonight?
Common Mistakes and Fixes
- Whom else do you want to call?
- Who else do you want to call?
- Whom else did you see at the store?
- Who else did you see at the store?
- I don't know whom else to ask for help.
- I don't know who else to ask for help.
- Whom else is going to the concert tonight?
- Who else is going to the concert tonight?
- Whom else did they invite to the meeting?
- Who else did they invite to the meeting?
- We don't know whom else to trust with the secret.
- We don't know who else to trust with the secret.
A Quick Test You Can Use
Replace the word with he or she. If he fits, use who else. If she fits, use who else anyway for natural flow. This simple substitution helps you avoid the stiff sound of whom in most daily conversations.
Related Word Pairs
- Who vs Whom
- Use who for subjects and whom for objects in formal writing.
- Its vs It's
- Use its for possession and it's as a contraction for it is.
- Your vs You're
- Use your for ownership and you're for you are.
- Their vs There
- Use their for possession and there to indicate a place.
- Then vs Than
- Use then for time and than for comparisons.
More Example Sentences
- Who else volunteered to clean the community garden this spring?
- Whom else should we consult before finalizing the design?
- Who else remembers the lyrics to that classic song?
- Whom else did the manager mention during the performance review?
- Who else is signed up for the morning yoga class?
- Whom else do you suspect might have taken the cookie?
- Who else has access to the secure server?
- Whom else would you recommend for the lead role?
- Who else attends the weekly book club meetings?
- Whom else did you share the confidential report with?
Quick Practice
else wants to order pizza for dinner?
Who
To else did you give the extra tickets?
whom
else is responsible for monitoring the security cameras?
Who
With else did you discuss the new policy changes?
whom
else has finished reading the assigned chapter?
Who
For else is the scholarship actually intended?
whom
