What do referring words refer to?

If you refer to someone or something as a particular thing, you use a particular word expression, or name to mention or describe them. If a word refers to a particular thing, situation, or idea, it describes it in some way.

Earlier words in a written work.

Explanation:

Referring words are pronouns that replace nouns that were earlier mentioned in a written work, they act as a connection or link between two or more sentences, clauses or ideas and join together all of them avoiding repetition of specific nouns. Referring words come in form of demonstrative pronouns (this, that, those, there, these) and interrogative pronouns (which, who, whom, what, whose), and increase fluency and clarity in a text.