• Business
  • Finance
  • Banking
  • Education
  • General
  • Law
  • Science
  • IT
  • English

Key Differences

Know the Differences & Comparisons

Difference Between That and Which

That vs WhichClause implies a set of words which is a part of a sentence, but it contains its own subject and predicate. A relative clause is a type of clause which expresses the person or thing, the speaker is referring to. Basically, we use who, whose, whom, that and which, in relative clauses. Many people suffer dilemma in using that and which in the sentences. While that is used to talk about things and sometimes about people, which is used to discuss things only.

Let’s take a look at the example to understand their difference:

  • An Atlas is a book that contains maps or charts.
  • Finally, we travelled to all the places, which you suggested.

In the given sentences, you might have noticed that while which is preceded by a comma, but there is no such comma in case of that. In simple words, ‘that’ adds essential information to the sentence, but ‘which’ adds supplementary information to the sentence.

Content: That Vs Which

  1. Comparison Chart
  2. Definition
  3. Key Differences
  4. Examples
  5. How to remember the difference

Comparison Chart

Basis for ComparisonThatWhich
MeaningThat is normally used to point out a person or an object, distant to the speaker, or add a clause which enhance the meaning of subject.Which is a wh-word, which is used to ask questions or add some information to the preceding noun, which is not pertinent to the subject.
Part of speechPronoun, determiner, adverb, conjunctionPronoun and determiner
ClauseIt is used with restrictive relative clauses.It is used with non-restrictive relative clauses.
Refers toPeople or thingsThings only
ExamplePaul called me on the number that was out of service.The train runs to Nagpur, which is its last destination.
The man who is standing at the door that's my father.She went to the village, which is situated near the river.

Definition of That

‘That’ is a relative pronoun which identifies a particular person or thing, referred by the speaker. It is commonly used with singular nouns.

When writing sentences with relative clauses, we use ‘that’ to provide further information, which elucidates the antecedent in the main clause. Now we’ll discuss how to use that in our sentences:

  1. As a determiner, it is used to address a person or thing which is not in contact with the speaker:
    • Elly sold that house in which she used to live in New York.
    • I was talking about that lady wearing the pink dress at the event.
  2. As a determiner, it can also be used to refer to something which is previously mentioned, to imply a comparison:
    • Here is the pen that you are looking for.
    • These spectacles are better than that.
  3. As an adverb, it is used to talk about degree or extent:
    • The medicine is not that important for me.
    • He is not that lucky for me.
  4. As a conjunction, it introduces a clause which expresses additional information about the subject:
    • It was raining heavily that I couldn’t reach the exam centre on time.
    • She doesn’t like the movies that are not interesting.
    • Maria accepted that it was her fault.

Definition of Which

Which is an interrogative pronoun, i.e. a wh-word that is used for asking the question, or seeking information concerning one or more people or objects from a given set.

Further, ‘which’ is also used to refer to something which is already specified to institute a clause for providing additional information incidental to the main clause. Now, let’s take a look at the points given below, to understand its uses:

  1. It is used to ask questions wherein there is a specified set of answers:
    • Which is your house?
    • Which book is mine?
  2. It is also used to decide among various options:
    • Which footwear should I buy?
    • Which dress would you like to wear to the party?
  3. It is also used to add specific information to the main clause, which is succeeded by a comma:
    • Pankhuri got selected in IIT, which surprised all her group members.
    • Today’s weather is great for a long drive, which is our favourite thing.
    • Last year we went to Agra to see the Taj Mahal, which we’re longing for years.

Key Differences Between That and Which

The difference between that and which can be drawn clearly on the following grounds:

  1. ‘That’ is a pronoun, which is mainly used to point out something or someone, not in direct contact with the speaker. It may also be used to add a clause to the main clause, so as to enhance its meaning. As against, ‘which’ is an interrogative pronoun that can be used to ask questions that have limited or fixed answer. It can also be used to add a clause which only adds information but is not relevant to the main clause.
  2. While ‘that’ can be used as a pronoun, determiner, conjunction and adverb, which can be used only as a pronoun and determiner.
  3. When it comes to usage, that is used to institute an essential/restrictive clause. An essential clause is one that adds some information that is important with respect to the subject of the sentence. On the other hand, a non-essential/non-restrictive clause is introduced by ‘which’, i.e. it only adds supplementary or incidental information.
  4. We use ‘that’ to refer to people or things, whereas we use ‘which’ to refer to things only.

Examples

That

  • Sam works for an NGO that operates in Delhi.
  • What’s wrong with the vehicle that you bought last year?
  • It is a heart touching movie that can make you cry.

Which

  • The Chief Minister started a fixed deposit for girls, which are below 12 years.
  • The car, which was stuck in the pothole, was sent to the service station.
  • The building collapsed due to the earthquake, which was recently built.

How to remember the difference

The best way to understand the difference between that and which is to use “parenthesis”. If the sentence is complete without parenthesis, you can use ‘which’, but if it is not, then use ‘that’.

You Might Also Like:

coordinating vs subordinating conjunctionDifference Between Coordinating and Subordinating Conjunction Who Vs WhomDifference Between Who and Whom phrase vs clauseDifference Between Phrase and Clause Some vs AnyDifference Between Some and Any this vs thatDifference Between This and That Much vs ManyDifference Between Much and Many

Comments

  1. Patrick Mweru says

    July 28, 2020 at 1:16 am

    resouceful

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Top 5 Differences

  • Difference Between PERT and CPM
  • Difference Between Micro and Macro Economics
  • Difference Between Developed Countries and Developing Countries
  • Difference Between Management and Administration
  • Difference Between Qualitative and Quantitative Research



New Additions

  • Difference Between Deforestation, Reforestation and Afforestation
  • Difference Between Race and Ethnicity
  • Difference Between Customer Service and Customer Experience
  • Difference Between Human Capital and Human Development
  • Difference Between Systems Approach and Contingency Approach
  • Difference Between Industrial Relations and Employee Relations
  • Difference Between Introduction and Executive Summary
  • Difference Between Programmed and Non-programmed Decisions
  • Difference Between Depreciation and Devaluation of Currency
  • Difference Between Consumer Market and Business Market

Categories

  • Banking
  • Business
  • Education
  • English
  • Finance
  • General
  • IT
  • Law
  • Science
fb-follow youtube follow

Copyright © 2025 · Key Differences · Contact Us · About Us · Privacy