English Question Words & Phrases
Question words ask for information: what, who, where, when, why, how, which and whose. Most questions follow the pattern question word + helper + subject + verb: 'Where do you live?' Add 'how' to words like much, many, long and old to ask about amount.
Level: A1. Question words (also called wh-words) are how you ask for information instead of a yes or no. This page gives you the eight main English question words, the word order that goes with them, and the useful ‘how’ phrases for asking about amount, time and age — each with a plain meaning and a short example you can copy.
By the end of this page you can…
…ask questions with what, who, where, when, why, how, which and whose, use the right word order, and build ‘how’ phrases such as how much, how many, how long and how old.
How this list was chosen
The question words here are the core wh-words every A1 learner needs, with their real positions on the English frequency list (hermitdave/FrequencyWords), which ranks words by how often they appear in a large collection of everyday subtitles. The Rank column is the word’s true position — a lower number means more common. The ‘how’ phrases combine ‘how’ with a common word, so they have no single rank of their own.
The eight question words
| Rank | Word | Asks about | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | what | a thing or action | What is your name? |
| 61 | how | the way, manner or amount | How do you spell it? |
| 72 | who | a person | Who is that man? |
| 73 | why | a reason | Why are you late? |
| 78 | when | a time | When does the shop open? |
| 88 | where | a place | Where do you live? |
| 199 | which | a choice from a set | Which bus goes to the centre? |
| 1062 | whose | who something belongs to | Whose bag is this? |
Asking with ‘how’
‘How’ joins other words to ask about amount, degree, time and age. Learn these as fixed phrases.
| Phrase | Asks about | Example |
|---|---|---|
| how much | an amount you cannot count | How much water do you need? |
| how many | a number of countable things | How many brothers do you have? |
| how long | length of time | How long is the film? |
| how often | frequency | How often do you exercise? |
| how old | age | How old is your sister? |
| what time | a clock time | What time is it? |
| what kind of | a type | What kind of music do you like? |
Example questions
Play each line, then ask it aloud. Notice the word order: question word, then the helper, then the subject.
- What is your name?'What' asks about a thing; with 'be' no extra helper is needed.
- What do you do on Sundays?Present simple needs 'do' before 'you'.
- Who is your teacher?'Who' asks about a person.
- Who made this cake?'Who' is the subject here, so there is no 'did'.
- Where do you live?Question word + do + subject + base verb.
- Where are you from?With 'be', the order is where + are + you.
- When does the train leave?'Does' for he/she/it and singular things; verb stays 'leave'.
- Why are you so happy today?'Why' asks for a reason.
- How do you spell your surname?'How' asks about the way or method.
- How much does this cost?'How much' + does for price.
- How many people are coming?'How many' with a countable noun.
- How long have you studied English?'How long' asks about a length of time.
- How often do you call home?'How often' asks about frequency.
- How old is your brother?'How old' asks about age.
- Which seat is mine, this one or that one?'Which' offers a choice from a set.
- Whose phone is ringing?'Whose' asks who something belongs to.
- What time does the lesson start?'What time' asks for a clock time.
- What kind of food do you like?'What kind of' asks about a type.
Recap cheat-sheet
A few patterns to remember before the quiz.
Quick recap before the quiz.
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| word order | question word + do/does + subject + verb |
| subject who/what | Who called? What happened? (no ‘do’) |
| count or not | how many books / how much water |
| choice vs open | which one? / what colour? |
Practice
Question words practice
Try each one, then press Check. No sign-up, nothing is sent anywhere — it all runs in your browser.
1 Match each question word to what it asks about.
- where
- when
- why
- whose
Show answer
- where → a place
- when → a time
- why → a reason
- whose → who it belongs to
Each wh-word asks for a different kind of information.
Hint: asks about a place
Show answer
Where — The answer gives a place, so the question word is 'Where'.
Hint: how + many
Show answer
How — 'How many' asks about a countable number of cups.
6 Put the words in order to make a question.
Show answer
where do you live — Question word + helper + subject + base verb: Where do you live?
Quiz
Question words quiz
12 questions · pick an answer and you'll see straight away if it's right.
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Show answer
who — 'Who' asks about a person.
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Show answer
Where do you work? — Present simple needs 'do': Where do you work?
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Show answer
why — 'Why' asks for a reason: Why are you late?
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Show answer
When — The answer is a time, so the question word is 'When'.
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Show answer
What does this mean? — After 'does', keep the base verb: mean.
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Show answer
How much — Sugar is uncountable, so use 'how much'.
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Show answer
how old — 'How old' asks about age: How old are you?
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Show answer
Who called you? — 'Who' is the one doing the action, so there is no helper: Who called you?
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Show answer
Which — 'Which' offers a choice from a limited set.
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Show answer
Whose — 'Whose' asks who something belongs to.
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Show answer
How often do you travel? — 'How often' asks how many times something happens.
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Show answer
When does the film start? — Question word + does + subject + base verb: When does the film start?
Next
- Previous set: English Connectors & Linking Words
- Related set: 100 Essential English Verbs
- Grammar for questions: Present simple (affirmative)
- New here? Start with Start Learning English Here
All English vocabulary topics
Vocabulary, pronunciation, phrases, practice and exam help, ordered by level. Pick a topic and go straight to it. New lessons go live every day, so topics marked Coming soon fill in over the next weeks.
Vocabulary
A1 13 topics · 13 ready
- 01 100 Most Common English Words
- 02 English Words 101-250 (Frequency)
- 03 100 Essential English Verbs
- 04 Common English Adjectives
- 05 English Question Words & Phrases You are here
- 06 English Time Expressions
- 07 English Food & Cooking Vocabulary
- 08 English Animals Vocabulary
- 09 English Clothing Vocabulary
- 10 English Weather Vocabulary
- 11 English Family & Relationships Vocabulary
- 12 English Colours Vocabulary
- 13 English Numbers, Dates & Money
A2 14 topics · 14 ready
- 14 English Words 251-500 (Frequency)
- 15 English Words 501-1000 (Frequency)
- 16 Everyday English Adverbs
- 17 English Body & Health Vocabulary
- 18 English House & Furniture Vocabulary
- 19 English Kitchen & Tableware Vocabulary
- 20 English Transport & Travel Vocabulary
- 21 English Places in Town Vocabulary
- 22 English Jobs & Professions Vocabulary
- 23 English Money & Shopping Vocabulary
- 24 English Emotions & Feelings Vocabulary
- 25 English Sports & Exercise Vocabulary
- 26 English Verbs of Motion
- 27 English Irregular Verbs Reference
B1 11 topics · 11 ready
- 28 English Words 1001-1500 (Frequency)
- 29 English Words 1501-2000 (Frequency)
- 30 English Connectors & Linking Words
- 31 English Nature & Geography Vocabulary
- 32 English Technology & Internet Vocabulary
- 33 English Education & School Vocabulary
- 34 English Medical & Pharmacy Vocabulary
- 35 English Arts, Music & Film Vocabulary
- 36 100 Essential English Phrasal Verbs
- 37 Commonly Confused English Words
- 38 British vs American English