Commonly Confused Words: They’re, There, and Their

If you really stop and think about which form of “they’re,” “there,” or “their” you need, chances are pretty good that you’ll figure it out and arrive at the correct conclusion (likely by remembering your middle school English lessons). I think the trouble that comes with these words occurs when people are writing quickly and don’t take the time to think about which one they’re using.

I’m going to walk you through each word to clarify its meaning and offer some handy tricks for easily remembering which is which!

They’re: The Contraction

In my opinion, this is the easiest one to remember. “They’re” is a contraction of “they are.” Like most contractions, it has an apostrophe to indicate the missing letter (you know, the one that got squashed when the two words were smushed together; in this case, it’s the “a”).

How to Remember It

When you see that apostrophe, remember that it’s marking the location of that missing “a,” so when you toss the “a” back in, you get “they are.”

Here are some examples of “they’re” used correctly:

They’re going to the gym after work today.

I asked whether they’re happy about the changes, but they’re not.

I love meeting dogs; they’re so cute and friendly!

I have too many books, but at least they’re organized by genre so they’re easy to find!

In all of those examples (and in any other situation), you can test the accuracy by replacing “they’re” with “they are.” If the sentence still makes sense, then “they’re” is correct!

There: The Location

“There” refers to a place or location. It can be a physical location (as in, “go over there”) or an abstract one, but it’s almost always indicative of some kind of place. An example of “there” referring to an abstract location is as follows: “My mom is always there for me.” In this case, I’m not referring to a specific, physical place where my mom is; rather, I’m stating that she is generally around and willing to support me.

How to Remember It

Merriam-Webster introduced me to this handy trick: “There” has the word “here” in it, which can help you remember that it’s talking about a location or place. It is also often the answer to the question “where?” and is spelled very similarly (with just the first letter different). You can think, “Where? There!”

Here are some examples of “there” used correctly:

The book I want is that one over there.

Why are you standing there when you should be here?

There you go again. (This is another instance when “there” refers to an abstract location.)

Ah, there are the car keys!

Their: The Possessive

“Their” is the possessive form of “they.” It’s used when “they” (whoever that is) own or have something: e.g., “their cat is orange.”

“Their” can also be used as a common-gender singular possessive pronoun, meaning it works as a singular pronoun when the gender of the antecedent is unknown or there are multiple genders in the subject. For example, in the sentence “almost nobody did their homework,” the subject is singular (“nobody”), which would ordinarily call for a singular pronoun in front of “homework.” However, we don’t know the gender(s) of the subject in question, so using “their” prevents us from having to use the singular but gender-exclusive “he.”

In situations where “somebody,” “nobody,” or “everybody” is the subject, you may need “their” to function as a singular possessive pronoun. Way back when, grammarians preferred the generic “he,” which resulted in sentences like “Would everyone please take his seat?” even when some of the people who were meant to take their seats were women. To avoid this kind of bias, singular “their” can be used without any grammatical problem.

This rule has a long history and can get a little bit complicated, so I’ll leave it at that for now and make sure to give the singular “they” its own post soon! For now, just remember that “their” is possessive, meaning it shows ownership.

How to Remember It

I am so sorry, but I don’t have a fun memory trick for “their.” Maybe you could say that this is the only one with an “I” in it, so it’s a little self-centered and possessive, which could help you remember that it’s the possessive form of “they”? That seems like a bit of a stretch, but I tried my best.

Here are some examples of “their” used correctly:

Is that our car? No, that’s theirs.

Their house was the biggest in the neighborhood.

Everybody in Ms. Smith’s class put their backpacks in their lockers before the lesson began.

Which of these words is the easiest for you to remember, and which one trips you up? Let me know in the comments, and drop any requests you have for posts there as well!

Sources:

• Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage. 14th ed. Taunton, MA: QuadGraphics, 2016.
• “America’s Most Trusted Dictionary.” Merriam-Webster. Accessed August 7, 2024. https://www.merriam-webster.com/.