whether

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conjunction British English pronunciation: whether

/ˈweðə(r)/

1
used when someone does not know which of two possibilities is true
They asked us whether we were married.
There is some doubt as to whether the illness is infectious.
whether...or:
She doesn’t even know whether her daughter is dead or alive.
whether or not:
I still don’t know whether or not he’s planning to come.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of whether
2
used when someone can choose between two possibilities
Employees are deciding whether to accept the offer.
whether or not:
There was a debate over whether or not to send troops.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of whether
3
used for saying that it does not matter which of two possibilities is true, because the situation will be the same
The journey, whether by road or rail, takes under four hours.
whether...or not:
Whether you like it or not, you’ll have to change your lifestyle.
whether...or (whether):
Whether we win or whether we lose, we shall respect the democratic process.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of whether

Usage note: whether

Both whether and if can be used to introduce indirect questions of the type that expect a ‘yes/no’ answer: She asked if/whether I liked jazz.

Use whether, but not if, before an infinitive: She can’t decide whether to marry him.

Use whether, but not if, after a preposition: There are doubts about whether the system is safe.

Use whether, but not if, immediately before ‘or not’: The question is whether or not the government has the right to interfere.

Whether is generally preferred when ‘or’ appears later in the sentence, but you can also use if: It is not clear whether/if the information was stolen or deliberately leaked to the press.

Get It Right!: whether

Notice the spelling of the conjunction whether, and don’t confuse it with the noun weather, which sounds exactly the same.

✗ It does not matter wheather one is an optimist or a pessimist.

✓ It does not matter whether one is an optimist or a pessimist.

✗ The question is wether there is still a place for imagination in the world.

✓ The question is whether there is still a place for imagination in the world.

✗ … the issue of weather criminals need retribution or rehabilitation.

✓ … the issue of whether criminals need retribution or rehabilitation.

This is the British English definition of whether. View American English definition of whether.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

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