comparison

Which vs That: Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Clauses

Use which and that with confidence in formal and everyday writing.

US style baseline

Use that for essential clauses and which for nonessential clauses with commas.

  • The policy that we approved is live.
  • The policy, which we approved yesterday, is live.

International variation

Some UK usage is more flexible, but consistency within one style guide matters most.

Editing test

If the sentence meaning changes without the clause, use that. If the clause is extra detail, use which with commas.

Word Context Matrix

Use this quick matrix to compare core words in this guide and jump directly into deeper lookup pages.

which

And.

that

To a given extent or degree.; Denoting an equal degree.

comma

The punctuation mark ⟨,⟩ used to indicate a set of parts of a sentence or between elements of a list.

clause

A surname.

Synonym and Contrast Explorer

which

that

High-value alternatives

sosuchanotherso that

Opposite direction words

heretherethisyonyonder

comma

High-value alternatives

pointmarkstopdashperioddotpauselull

clause

High-value alternatives

catchpartperiodbillstringnumberbookpassage

Real Usage Examples

Example sentences pulled from our lexical corpus to show natural context.

which

All that which is invented, is true.

that

That was probably what influenced their decision.

comma

In another paragraph, he put in a comma.

clause

The clause provides that all decisions shall be made by majority vote.

FAQ

Is which always wrong without commas?

Not always in global English, but many US editors prefer that in restrictive clauses.

Can I ignore this rule in casual writing?

Yes, but formal writing benefits from clarity here.

Explore Related Words

which that comma clause