What does “whether” mean?
- 1
conjunctionused to talk about a choice between two possibilities
I don’t know whether to stay or go.
- 2
conjunctionused to say something is true in any case
Whether you like it or not, we’re leaving.
Whether at a glance
- Part of speech
- conjunction
- CEFR level
- B1 (intermediate)
- Pronunciation
- /ˈwɛðɚ/ · WETH-er
How to use “whether” correctly
Don’t confuse “whether” (if) with “weather” (rain, sun); they sound the same. Use “whether”, not “if”, before “to”: “whether to go”.
Common phrases with “whether”
- whether or not
- whether to do sth
- wonder whether
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Synonyms (similar meaning)
“whether” is on these word lists
Learn these words next
- although conjunctionB1used to introduce an idea that makes the main idea surprising
- nor conjunctionB1used after “neither” to add another negative choice
- though conjunctionB1despite the fact that
- and conjunctionA1used to join words or parts of a sentence
- because conjunctionA1for the reason that
- but conjunctionA1used to add something different or surprising
- if conjunctionA1used to say that something happens only when something else happens
- or conjunctionA1used to join possibilities or choices