All vs Whole

When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.

All

High-frequency chunk A1 determiner

Whole

Top 2,000 (common) A2 adjective

Most common: All

	All	Whole
Pronunciation	🇬🇧 /["/ɔːl/"]/ 🇺🇸 /["/ɔːl/"]/	🇬🇧 /["/həʊl/"]/ 🇺🇸 /["/həʊl/"]/
Meaning	Everything or everyone, without exception.	All of something; complete.
Example	All the students in the class passed the exam.	She ate the whole pizza by herself.
Register	Neutral	Neutral
How common	High-frequency chunk	Top 2,000 (common)
CEFR level	A1	A2
Part of speech	determiner	adjective
Collocations	all day, all the time, all over, all of us	the whole thing, the whole part, whole heart, whole number, whole community
Antonyms	none, part, some	partial, incomplete
Common mistakes	'All' used without a noun (e.g. saying 'I love all' instead of 'I love all of them')., Confused with 'all of' when it shouldn't be (e.g. 'All of the students came' is correct; 'All students came' is also correct in informal contexts).	Using 'whole' with plural nouns (e.g., 'whole apples' instead of 'whole apple'), Confusing 'whole' with 'hole', Misplacing 'whole' in a sentence (e.g., 'the whole of them' instead of 'all of them')
Usage notes	Use 'all' in both spoken and written English when referring to the entirety of a group. Avoid using 'all' when referring to a specific subset, as it implies inclusivity.	Use 'whole' when referring to something in its entirety. It is appropriate in both written and spoken contexts, but may sound less formal in academic writing. Avoid using it with specific countable nouns; instead, use with uncountable or collective nouns.

See it in real clips

So, I gave a whole bunch of it to the Foursquare gospel church,

The Sopranos › S1 E1

this whole new generation of antidepressants

Top Gear › S1 E1

3,500 for the UK for the whole year.

So, I gave a whole bunch of it to the Foursquare gospel church,

The Sopranos › S1 E1

this whole new generation of antidepressants

Whole

Frequently asked questions: All vs Whole

What's the difference between All and Whole?

All: Everything or everyone, without exception. Whole: All of something; complete.

Which is more common: All and Whole?

All is the most common in everyday English.

Which is more advanced: All and Whole?

Whole is the highest level, at A2, on the CEFR scale.

Are All and Whole the same CEFR level?

All: A1, Whole: A2 on the CEFR scale.

What part of speech are All and Whole?

All: determiner, Whole: adjective.

Can you show an example of each?

All: All the students in the class passed the exam. Whole: She ate the whole pizza by herself.

Can I use All and Whole interchangeably?

Not always. All and Whole are related and overlap in some contexts, but they differ in register, how common they are, and usage, so swapping one for another can change the meaning or tone. Check the differences above before substituting.