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Trivia What is the difference between "if" and "whether" in English?

plhbg1

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The word "if" is used when there is one potential outcome, such as "I'd like to know if you want to go to the movies."

The word "whether"¹ is used when there are at least two² potential outcomes, such as "I'd like to know whether you want to go to the movies or stay home."

Correlative conjunctions link similar words or word groups, but they are always used in pairs.
Here are the correlative conjunctions:

both … and
either … or
neither … nor
not only … but also
whether … or
 

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