This or That: Meaning, Usage, Examples, and Common Questions

Have you ever been asked, “Coffee or tea?” or “Summer or winter?” That simple choice is the basic idea behind this or that.

People search for this or that for many reasons. Some want to understand what the phrase means. Others want fun questions for friends, couples, students, social media, or party games. Writers may also want to know whether this or that is grammatically correct and how to use it naturally.

The phrase is easy, but it can cause confusion. This and that are demonstrative words, and they can point to different things depending on distance, context, or the speaker’s meaning. When joined with or, they often present two choices.

For example:

Would you choose this or that?

The question asks someone to pick between two options.

You may also see related phrases such as this or that questions, this or that game, this vs. that, and would you rather. These expressions are similar, but they do not always have exactly the same meaning.

This guide explains the meaning, history, spelling, common mistakes, examples, and everyday uses of this or that.

This or That – Quick Answer

This or that is an expression used to give someone two choices.

For example:

• Coffee or tea?
• Cats or dogs?
• Summer or winter?
• City or countryside?
• Books or movies?

You can also use it in a complete sentence:

Would you like this or that?

Which do you prefer, this or that?

The phrase can be used in casual conversation, games, social media polls, classroom activities, and conversation starters.

This vs. That

The words this and that have their own meanings.

This usually points to something near the speaker.

This book is in my hand.

That usually points to something farther away.

That book is on the table.

When they appear together as this or that, the phrase usually focuses on choice, not physical distance.

The Origin of This or That

The words this and that are old English demonstratives. They developed from early forms of English and have been used to identify or point to people and things for many centuries.

The basic idea has stayed simple:

• This points to one thing.
• That points to another thing.
• Or creates a choice between them.

Together, this or that became a natural way to ask someone to choose between two possibilities.

Today, the expression is common in modern English. It appears in:

• Conversations
• Games
• Classroom activities
• Social media
• Quizzes
• Surveys
• Icebreakers
• Blog posts
• Marketing content

There is an important point about spelling: this or that does not have separate British and American spellings. The phrase is written the same way in both varieties of English.

British English vs American English Spelling

Unlike words such as colour/color or centre/center, this or that has no British-American spelling difference.

Both forms are correct:

British English: this or that

American English: this or that

The same is true in Australian, Canadian, and other major forms of English.

English Variety	Correct Form	Example
British English	this or that	Would you choose this or that?
American English	this or that	Would you choose this or that?
Australian English	this or that	Do you prefer this or that?
Canadian English	this or that	Which one do you want, this or that?
Global English	this or that	This or that?

Does “This or That” Need a Hyphen?

Normally, no.

When asking a simple question, write:

This or that?

Not:

❌ This-or-that?

The three words normally remain separate.

However, this-or-that may sometimes appear with hyphens when the phrase is used as a compound modifier in a particular sentence. That is different from the normal question format.

Which Spelling Should You Use?

The answer is simple:

Use “this or that.”

For American Readers

Use:

this or that

Example:

Which do you prefer, coffee or tea?

For British Readers

Use:

this or that

Example:

Would you rather have tea or coffee?

For Australian and Canadian Readers

The same spelling works:

this or that

For a Global Audience

This or that is easy to understand internationally. You do not need to change the spelling based on the reader’s country.

If you are writing for SEO, however, you can target different search phrases based on search intent.

For example:

• this or that questions
• fun this or that questions
• this or that game
• this or that questions for friends
• this or that questions for couples
• this or that questions for students

Common Mistakes with This or That

1. Writing “Thisorthat”

Incorrect:

❌ thisorthat

Correct:

✅ this or that

The words should normally be written separately.

2. Using “And” Instead of “Or”

If you want someone to choose between two options, use or.

Incorrect for a choice:

❌ Do you want this and that?

Correct:

✅ Do you want this or that?

And joins things together. Or presents alternatives.

3. Using Too Many Choices

A basic this-or-that question normally gives two choices.

For example:

Coffee or tea?

That gives two options.

If you ask:

Coffee, tea, juice, or water?

you are giving four options. It is still a choice question, but it is not a simple two-option “this or that” question.

4. Forgetting the Question Mark

When this or that is used as a direct question, a question mark is normally appropriate.

Correct:

This or that?

5. Confusing “This” and “That”

Remember the basic rule:

This = usually something near you.

That = usually something farther away.

Examples:

This phone is mine.

That phone belongs to my brother.

Context can also affect how these words are used, so physical distance is not the only factor.

6. Making the Choices Unclear

A good question should make the two options easy to understand.

Weak:

Morning or something?

Better:

Morning or evening?

Clear choices make the question easier to answer.

This or That in Everyday Examples

In Emails

In a casual email, you might write:

Would you prefer this or that design?

For professional communication, a clearer version may be:

Would you prefer Design A or Design B?

This gives the reader specific choices.

In News and Articles

Writers can use the idea of two choices to create an engaging question:

City life or country life: Which lifestyle is right for you?

This style can introduce a comparison or discussion.

On Social Media

“This or that” works especially well for short posts and polls.

Examples:

☕ Coffee or 🍵 Tea?

🌊 Beach or ⛰️ Mountains?

📚 Books or 🎬 Movies?

🌞 Summer or ❄️ Winter?

People can answer with a comment, poll, reaction, or emoji.

In Formal Writing

The phrase is grammatically acceptable, but formal writing often benefits from more specific wording.

Instead of:

This or that?

you might write:

Which option would you prefer?

Or:

Would you select Option A or Option B?

In Games and Icebreakers

This is one of the most popular uses.

For example:

Dogs or cats?

Pizza or burgers?

Morning or night?

Traveling or staying home?

These questions are simple and can help people start conversations.

This or That – Google Trends & Usage Data

Search interest in this or that can come from several different intentions.

Some people search for the meaning of the phrase. Others search for question ideas, games, social media content, or conversation starters.

Related searches may include:

• this or that questions
• this or that game
• fun this or that questions
• this or that questions for couples
• this or that questions for friends
• this or that questions for students

Google Trends can help compare the relative interest of these terms across countries and time periods.

However, Google Trends data should be understood correctly. It measures relative search interest, not a simple count of the exact number of searches. Results can change depending on the country, time range, category, and search term.

For SEO research, you can compare this or that in markets such as:

• United States
• United Kingdom
• Canada
• Australia
• Worldwide

You can also compare this or that with related terms such as would you rather and this vs that to understand different search intents.

This or That Keyword Variations

Keyword	Main Search Intent	Typical Use
this or that	Meaning and general choice	Conversation
this or that questions	Question ideas	Games and social media
this or that game	Game information	Parties and groups
fun this or that questions	Entertainment	Friends and family
this or that questions for couples	Relationship questions	Couples
this or that questions for friends	Conversation ideas	Friends
this or that questions for students	Classroom activities	Students
this vs that	Comparison	Products and ideas
would you rather	Hypothetical choices	Games and conversations
either-or questions	Two-choice questions	Discussions and activities

30 Simple This or That Examples

Here are some ready-to-use examples:

1. Coffee or tea?
2. Cats or dogs?
3. Summer or winter?
4. Books or movies?
5. Beach or mountains?
6. Morning or night?
7. Pizza or burgers?
8. City or countryside?
9. Sweet or salty?
10. Cricket or football?
11. Sunrise or sunset?
12. Rain or sunshine?
13. Cake or ice cream?
14. Texting or calling?
15. Reading or writing?
16. Comedy or horror?
17. Car or motorcycle?
18. Train or airplane?
19. Shopping or traveling?
20. Music or movies?
21. Indoor or outdoor?
22. Chocolate or vanilla?
23. Apple or orange?
24. Tea at home or tea at a café?
25. Big party or small gathering?
26. Online shopping or store shopping?
27. Work or vacation?
28. Adventure or relaxation?
29. Books or podcasts?
30. This or that?

FAQs About This or That

1. What does “this or that” mean?

This or that is an expression used to ask someone to choose between two options.

2. Is “this or that” grammatically correct?

Yes. It is a normal English expression, especially when presenting two choices.

3. Is there a British spelling of “this or that”?

No. British and American English use the same spelling:

this or that

4. What is a “this or that” question?

It is a question that gives someone two choices.

Example:

Tea or coffee?

The person chooses one.

5. What is the difference between “this or that” and “would you rather”?

This or that usually gives two direct choices.

Pizza or burgers?

Would you rather often presents two possible actions or situations.

Would you rather eat pizza or burgers for dinner?

They are similar, but their sentence structures are different.

6. How many choices should a this-or-that question have?

A simple this or that question normally has two choices.

For example:

Summer or winter?

7. Where can I use this or that questions?

You can use them in conversations, games, classrooms, social media posts, icebreakers, surveys, and group activities.

Conclusion

This or that is a short, simple, and useful English expression. It usually presents two choices and asks someone to choose between them. You can use it in everyday conversations, games, social media posts, classroom activities, and many other settings.

There is no British or American spelling difference. Both use this or that. The words are normally written separately, and or is used because the phrase presents alternatives.

The phrase is also useful for SEO and content creation. People search for this or that questions, games, conversation starters, and fun ideas for friends, couples, students, and social media. Each variation has a slightly different search intent.

For professional writing, a more direct question may sometimes sound better. Instead of “This or that?” you could write, “Which option would you prefer?” This makes the choices clear and sounds more formal.

For casual English, however, this or that is natural and easy to understand. Once you understand the basic meaning, you can use the phrase confidently in questions, comparisons, polls, and conversations.