Cool MateHow you feeling vs What's up?
When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.
How you feeling
InformalTop 2,000 (common)
What's up?
InformalTop 2,000 (common)
| How you feeling | What's up? | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | 🇬🇧 //haʊ jʊ ˈfiːlɪŋ//🇺🇸 //haʊ jʊ ˈfiːlɪŋ// | 🇬🇧 //wɒts ʌp//🇺🇸 //wɑts ʌp// |
| Meaning | A friendly way to ask about someone's emotions. | A casual way to ask someone how they are or what's happening. |
| Example | Hey, how you feeling after yesterday's game? | When I saw my friend, I casually said, 'What's up?' |
| Register | Informal | Informal |
| How common | Top 2,000 (common) | Top 2,000 (common) |
| Collocations | How you feeling today?, How you feeling about that?, How you feeling right now? | What's up, buddy?, What's up, man?, What's up with that?, Hey, what's up?, So, what's up? |
| Common mistakes | 'Feeling' should not be capitalized in the middle of a sentence., Omitting 'are' makes the phrase grammatically incorrect (e.g., 'How you feeling?' should be 'How are you feeling?')., Confused with 'How do you feel?' which is more formal. | Using it in a formal meeting where a respectful greeting is expected., Misunderstanding it as a question requiring a detailed answer., Not responding appropriately with a casual reply. |
| Usage notes | Used in casual conversations among friends. May not be suitable in formal settings. Often followed by a response about feelings. | Used mainly in casual conversations among friends. It may not be appropriate in formal situations. |
Frequently asked questions: How you feeling vs What's up?
What's the difference between How you feeling and What's up??
How you feeling: A friendly way to ask about someone's emotions. What's up?: A casual way to ask someone how they are or what's happening.
Can you show an example of each?
How you feeling: Hey, how you feeling after yesterday's game? What's up?: When I saw my friend, I casually said, 'What's up?'
Can I use How you feeling and What's up? interchangeably?
Not always. How you feeling and What's up? 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.