Their vs there vs they're: three words, one sound, three jobs

The three jobs at a glance

Merriam-Webster notes that their, there and they're are all pronounced the same way, and that three very common words in particular often confuse people. Dictionary.com explains why: they are homophones, meaning they have the same pronunciation but differ in meaning and derivation.

Here is the whole difference in one table.

Dictionary.com defines their as the possessive form of the personal pronoun they, essentially meaning "belonging to or possessed by them". Cambridge Dictionary agrees: their is a possessive determiner which means "belonging to them", and they're is one of the confusable words because there, their and they're are commonly confused in English, as they sound the same.

The next sections give each word a short rule, so you can use whichever one you need without guessing.

Their: belonging to them

Use their before a noun to show that something belongs to a group of people, animals or things already mentioned. It is in the same family as my, your, our and her, and like them it has no apostrophe.

Merriam-Webster describes it as the possessive form of they, so it has to do with what belongs to, relates to, or is made or done by "them".

Examples:

• The students forgot their books.
• The company changed their logo. (British English often treats a company as plural; American English often uses its.)
• My parents sold their house last year.
• Everyone should bring their own lunch. (A common, accepted way to refer to one person of any gender.)

Test: could you replace their with our or my and keep the meaning? The students forgot our books works grammatically (even if the meaning changes), so the word is their. If you try our in there is a problem ("our is a problem"), it fails, so that word is not their.

Memory clue: their and heir share the letters -eir, and an heir is a person who inherits something that belongs to a family. Think of ownership.

There: place and existence

There has two main jobs.

1. A place. It is the opposite of here.

• Put the box over there.
• I have never been there.
• There it is! (pointing)

2. To say that something exists (often with is, are, was or were).

• There is a bus at nine.
• There are too many bugs in the program. (As in the Instructional Solutions example: there are too many bugs in their program, so they're going to recode it fully.)
• There was a long wait before their luggage was loaded onto the plane.

Test: replace there with here. Put the box over here works, so it is a place word. In there is a bus at nine, the test does not work, but the sentence has the pattern there + be, which is the second job.

Another clue: there contains the word here. Both are about place.

Note one more use: there is also a way to start many common phrases, such as there you go, there is no way and there you are.

They're: they are

They're is a contraction. The apostrophe replaces the missing letter a in they are.

• They're coming to dinner tonight. (they are coming)
• I think they're very kind. (they are very kind)
• Cambridge's example: they're too young to have a holiday so far away from home.
• They're not at home. (they are not at home)

Test: say "they are" instead. If the sentence still makes sense, write they're.

The test works because contractions are just shortened forms. They're is the same as they are, so any sentence with they're must still be correct when you expand it.

Hint: the apostrophe in they're takes the place of the letter a.

Be careful not to use they're after a possessive meaning: The students forgot they're books means the students forgot they are books, which is not what you want. Use their.

For more on contractions and how they sound in speech, see our guide to contractions in English.

Using all three in one sentence

One sentence from Instructional Solutions shows all three words together: there was a long wait before their luggage was loaded onto the plane, but they're finally ready to depart. Another from the same site: there is no way I could anticipate their plan or that they're really not cooperative.

Break down the second sentence:

1. There was a long wait: existence (there + was).
2. Their luggage: the luggage belongs to them.
3. They're finally ready: they are finally ready.

Each word is doing a different job, and each one passes its own test. Another example of your own:

They're going to sell their house, because there are too many problems with it.

Now test it: They are going to sell [belonging to them] house, because [existence] are too many problems. Each word fits.

When you write a sentence with more than one of the three, check each word separately, one at a time. Do not decide for the whole sentence at once.

A three-step method for any sentence

Use this order every time. It takes about five seconds.

1. Can you say "they are"? If yes, write they're.
2. Does the word show that something belongs to people or things? If yes, write their. Check by asking whose is it?
3. Is it about a place, or does the sentence start with there + be? If yes, write there.

Examples:

• "___ going to be late." Step 1: they are going to be late. Yes, so They're.
• "I love ___ new house." Step 1: no. Step 2: whose house? theirs, so their.
• "I'll meet you ___." Step 1: no. Step 2: no. Step 3: place, so there.
• "___ is a spare chair." Step 1: no. Step 2: no. Step 3: there + is, so There.

If you only remember one thing, remember step 1: it is the only word with an apostrophe, and the apostrophe means a missing letter.

This answers a question learners often type into search: "How to remember the 3 there's?" Use the method above, and remember that the word their is the odd one: it is the only one that is a possessive.

Common mistakes

• Wrong: Their going to the party. Right: They're going to the party.
• Wrong: I like they're house. Right: I like their house.
• Wrong: Their is a problem. Right: There is a problem.
• Wrong: They're are many people. Right: There are many people.
• Wrong: Put it over their. Right: Put it over there.

The two most common errors in practice are these.

• Writing "their" for "they're" because the sounds match. Use the they are test.
• Writing "there" for "their" because both mean "something about them" in your head. Ask whether the word shows belonging.

Why do even native speakers make these mistakes? Grammarly calls them one group of homonyms in particular that stands out for being among the most misused and commonly misspelled words.

Scribbr points out that these words are pronounced similarly but don't have the same meaning.

Speed makes it worse. When you type quickly, your fingers follow the sound, not the spelling. A last read-through of every email or message is the cheapest fix.

Practice: their, there or they're?

Choose the correct word. The answers are below the list.

1. ___ is a good café near here.
2. The kids left ___ bags in the car.
3. I think ___ going to move to London.
4. Can you see the sign over ___?
5. ___ not ready yet.
6. We visited ___ new office.
7. ___ are three reasons for this.
8. If ___ late, we will start without them.

Answers: 1. There. 2. their. 3. they're. 4. there. 5. They're. 6. their. 7. There. 8. they're.

Now say five sentences aloud, using each word at least once, and then write them down. You will notice that, in speech, all three sound the same, which is exactly why the writing needs the test. Our guide to English speaking practice shows how to build a daily routine, and an AI tutor can notice grammar slips when you talk.