An echo question repeats back all or part of a sentence someone has just said, usually to check that you heard correctly or to express surprise, disbelief or interest. Unlike an ordinary wh-question, an echo question keeps the same word order as the original statement — there is no subject–auxiliary inversion.
Compare an ordinary question with an echo question based on the same information:
- A: I'm moving to Norway. B (ordinary question): Where are you moving to?
- A: I'm moving to Norway. B (echo question): You're moving WHERE?
The echo question keeps the statement order (You're moving…) and simply replaces the piece of information the speaker wants repeated with a stressed question word, spoken with rising intonation.
How Echo Questions Are Formed
| Original statement | Echo question | Function |
|---|---|---|
| I saw Kevin at the airport. | You saw WHO at the airport? | Checking a name/person heard |
| She's moving to Norway. | She's moving WHERE? | Checking a place |
| He spent three thousand pounds. | He spent HOW MUCH? | Expressing shock at an amount |
| They got married last week. | They got married WHEN? | Checking a time, showing surprise |
| I quit my job. | You did WHAT? | General disbelief (replaces the whole action) |
| Yes. | Yes? | Simple repetition for confirmation, rising tone |
Notice three key rules: (1) the subject and verb stay in statement order, not question order; (2) the question word replaces the piece of information being echoed and stays in its original position in the sentence, not moved to the front; (3) the question word carries heavy stress and rising intonation.
Two Types of Echo Question
1. Checking / Clarifying (heard something unclear)
Used when you did not catch a piece of information and want it repeated, usually with neutral or mildly curious intonation.
- A: My flight leaves at 6:45. B: It leaves WHEN, sorry?
- A: Her name is Siobhan. B: Her name is WHO? Sorry, I didn't catch that.
2. Expressing Surprise or Disbelief (heard clearly, but reacting)
Used when you heard perfectly well, but the information is shocking, unexpected or hard to believe. Intonation rises sharply on the question word.
- A: I ate the whole cake. B: You ate WHAT?!
- A: I'm getting a tattoo of my boss's face. B: You're getting a WHAT?!
Key distinction: Echo questions are different from ordinary question tags and from wh-questions used to open a new topic. An echo question always responds directly to something just said, and it always reuses the grammatical structure of that original sentence.
Echo Question Words
- WHO — replaces a person: You met WHO at the party?
- WHAT — replaces a thing, an action, or the whole statement: You bought WHAT? / You did WHAT?
- WHERE — replaces a place: You're flying to WHERE?
- WHEN — replaces a time: The wedding is WHEN?
- HOW MUCH / HOW MANY — replaces a quantity: It cost HOW MUCH?
- WHY — replaces a reason, usually with strong disbelief: You quit WHY?
Common Mistakes
-
Inverting subject and auxiliary: Echo questions do NOT invert like ordinary questions.
Wrong: Where are you moving to? (as an echo, repeating "I'm moving to Norway")
Correct: You're moving WHERE? -
Moving the question word to the front: The question word stays where the missing information was in the original sentence.
Wrong: WHAT did you buy at the market? (as an echo)
Correct: You bought WHAT at the market? - Flat intonation: Without stress and rising pitch on the question word, an echo question sounds like a strange, ungrammatical statement rather than a question.
- Confusing echo questions with tag questions: A tag question (isn't it?) checks agreement about a new statement you are making; an echo question repeats someone else's words back to them.
Practice Tips
Listen for the shape: In spoken English media, listen for moments of surprise. Notice how the responding speaker keeps the original sentence shape and simply swaps in a stressed question word — that is the pattern to imitate.
- Practise with a partner: One person makes an unusual or surprising statement; the other must respond with a correctly formed echo question.
- Record yourself: Say a statement, then echo it back with strong stress on the question word to build the intonation pattern into muscle memory.
- Watch for "what" replacing whole ideas: When you are simply astonished rather than missing detail, "You did WHAT?" is the most natural, general echo question in English.
Practice Exercises
Grammar Quiz
Choose the correctly formed echo question for each context.
Complete the Sentence
Type the missing echo question word in each dialogue.
True or False
Decide whether each echo question keeps the correct statement word order.
Flash Cards
Drill statement-to-echo-question transformations.
Matching Pairs
Match original statements to their correct echo questions.
Unjumble
Reorder scrambled words into a correctly formed echo question.
Practise Echo Questions
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is an echo question?
An echo question repeats part of a sentence someone has just said, replacing the piece of information you want repeated (or reacting to) with a stressed question word. For example, if someone says "I'm moving to Norway," you might respond "You're moving WHERE?" Echo questions are used to check information you did not hear clearly, or to express surprise or disbelief at what was said.
How is an echo question different from a normal question?
A normal wh-question inverts the subject and auxiliary and moves the question word to the front: "Where are you moving to?" An echo question keeps the original statement's word order unchanged and simply substitutes the question word into the exact position of the information being questioned: "You're moving WHERE?" There is no inversion in an echo question.
Why do echo questions not use subject-auxiliary inversion?
Echo questions are grammatically statements with one element replaced by a question word; they are not asking for new information from scratch, they are repeating back what was already said. Because they mirror the structure of the original sentence exactly, inversion would break that mirroring. The intonation (a sharp rise on the stressed question word) does the work that inversion normally does in signalling a question.
When do native speakers use echo questions?
Native speakers use echo questions in two main situations: (1) when they did not hear or understand a piece of information clearly and want it repeated, e.g. "Sorry, you said it costs HOW MUCH?"; and (2) when they heard perfectly well but are reacting with surprise, shock or disbelief, e.g. "You quit your job WHEN?!" Both uses are extremely common in casual spoken English.
What does "You did WHAT?" mean?
"You did WHAT?" is a general-purpose echo question used when the whole action described is surprising or shocking, rather than just one detail of it. Instead of echoing a specific piece of information (a place, a time, a name), the speaker replaces the whole verb phrase with "WHAT" to express strong disbelief: "I ate the whole cake." "You did WHAT?!"
Is intonation important in echo questions?
Yes, intonation is essential. The question word in an echo question is stressed heavily and spoken with rising pitch, which is what signals to the listener that it is a question rather than an odd, garbled statement. Without this stress and rising intonation, "You're moving where" sounds incomplete or confusing rather than like a genuine request for clarification.
Are echo questions the same as tag questions?
No. A tag question is added to the end of your own new statement to invite agreement or confirmation, e.g. "It's cold today, isn't it?" An echo question responds to something someone else has just said, repeating their sentence structure with one part replaced by a question word, e.g. "It's WHAT today?" if you misheard "cold." The two structures serve different conversational purposes.
Can echo questions be used with "yes" or "no"?
Yes. A short echo like "Yes?" or "No?" with rising intonation can simply invite the speaker to continue or confirm what they said, functioning almost like "Really?" or "Go on." This minimal echo is common in conversation to show you are listening and want more detail, without needing to repeat any specific content word.
What is the difference between "You saw who?" and "Who did you see?"
"Who did you see?" is a normal wh-question, used to open a new topic and ask for information you don't already have, with standard subject-auxiliary inversion. "You saw who?" is an echo question, used specifically in response to a statement someone just made ("I saw Kevin at the airport"), keeping statement word order and stressing "who" to show you didn't catch or can't believe the name.
Are echo questions considered formal or informal English?
Echo questions belong almost entirely to informal, spoken conversation. They are extremely natural in everyday dialogue but are rarely, if ever, used in formal writing, academic English or professional reports, where a full clarifying question ("Could you confirm the amount, please?") would be used instead. Learning echo questions improves listening comprehension and conversational fluency rather than formal writing skills.
At what level are echo questions typically taught?
Echo questions are typically introduced at B2 level, once learners are comfortable with standard question formation and word order, since the whole point of an echo question is that it deliberately breaks the normal inversion rule. They appear in Cambridge B2 First and C1 Advanced listening and speaking materials as a marker of natural conversational competence.