Whichever

How to spell whichever

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce whichever

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does whichever mean?

1. determinerAny one or any number of a set, no matter which; the one or ones that are chosen or that happen to apply.

Whichever in a sentence

• You can take whichever seat is free near the window.

• Whichever option you pick, the monthly cost stays the same.

Where does whichever come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word is a compound of two native English elements, and both reach back to Old English. The first part, 'which', descends from the Old English 'hwilc', a question word that literally meant something like 'what kind' or 'what form', built from roots meaning 'what' and 'like'. The second part, 'ever', comes from Old English 'aefre', meaning 'at any time' or 'always'. By the medieval period English writers were tacking 'ever' onto question words such as which, who, what and where to give them a broadening, generalising force: not just 'which' but 'any one at all that you choose'. The fused spelling 'whichever' settled into place over the later Middle Ages, and because both halves are ordinary everyday words, the only real spelling care it needs is keeping it as one solid word with the silent 'h' tucked after the 'w'.

How the word is built

• which (interrogative/relative pronoun)
• -ever (emphasising suffix meaning 'any one that')