The words they’re, their and there may sound almost identical when spoken, but they have totally different meanings in English.
However, because these words are homophones, it’s very common to see grammatical mistakes when they are written – even by native English speakers.
In this article, we will look at what these three words mean and how to use there vs their vs they’re correctly.
What’s the difference between there, their and they’re?
The short answer is:
-There refers to a place or location -Their is a possessive pronoun or adjective meaning 'belonging to them' -They're is a contraction of 'they are'
If this clears things up for you with these commonly confused words, great. But if you need a more detailed explanation to identify the correct word to use in a particular sentence, continue reading for full definitions and examples.
They’re is a contraction of they are
A contraction is a way of shortening two words into one using an apostrophe. In this case, we are contracting the third-person pronoun ‘they’ and the matching form of the verb ‘be’: ‘are’.
They + are = they're
So, if you are considering whether to use their or they’re in your sentence, remember to ask yourself whether it can be replaced with ‘they are’. If it still makes sense like this, ‘they’re’ is correct. This rule always applies.
For example:
- They’re going to the zoo today.
- Do you know what time they’re planning to be home from work?
- They’re all using the free version of the browser extension.
- I wonder what they’re doing.
If you’re unsure about when to use contractions in writing, we have a separate guide to help explain more about this. It’s worth noting that they are often avoided in academic writing and other very formal contexts.
We also have a grammar guide on how to use apostrophes correctly.
Their shows possession
Their is the possessive form of they. It can function as a possessive adjective or a possessive pronoun.
Use this word to describe something belonging to more than one person or each member of a group individually. For example:
- Is this their car?
- Sally and Joseph have just moved into their new home.
- Please ask everyone to bring their own drinks.
- Their singing is truly beautiful.
- The teacher will monitor the class to assess their learning level.
There are two other word pairs that are often confused because their possessive and contracted forms sound alike: your and you’re and its and it’s.
There refers to a place, position or location
There can be an adverb or a noun, but if it refers to a place, position or location then it’s the correct choice out of they’re, their and there.
- Please read until page 28 and stop there.
- I heard that Cardiff is a beautiful city. Have you been there?
- Please sit down there.
- Let’s meet at the library and walk to the park from there.
Additionally, ‘there’ is used with the verb ‘be’ as a pronoun to introduce a clause or sentence:
- There are two cats on my desk.
- There will be sandwiches and balloons at the party.
- How many people were there at the conference?
- There are three hundred students at this university.
- There won’t be any money left if you keep spending it like that!
You may also hear the expression there you are/go (or here you are/go) said when giving someone something, usually an item they asked for.
Paula: Could you pass me the milk, please?
Marina: Of course, there you are.
Avoid common mistakes using there, their and they’re
Now that we have looked at how to use the words their, they’re and there correctly, here are some common phrases that you may want to check:
Are there or are their?
Either of these can be correct, depending on the context. ‘Are there’ begins a question enquiring about the existence of something. ‘Are their’ asks about something belonging to a group of people.
- Are there any parking spaces free?
- Are their suitcases already in the car?
Will there or will their?
Both structures are valid in certain contexts. ‘Will there’ asks whether something will exist or occur in the future. ‘Will their’ enquires about a possession, instead.
- Will there be food provided at the conference?
- Will their costumes be ready in time for the show?
Do their or does their?
The trick to answering this question is to consider the next word in the sentence: is it singular or plural? The verb ‘do’ should agree with the subject of the clause.
- Do their clothes need to be washed today?
- Does their car need to be washed today?
Are you still there or their?
Although these words sound the same, only one is correct in this situation: Are you still there? This is because ‘there’ is an adverb to indicate a place or location.
This said, if the sentence were to be extended then ‘Are you still their …?’ could technically be correct, although far less common. For example:
- Are you still their favorite uncle?
Just for fun: example sentences using all three words
Can you try to construct a sentence that uses all three of these similar-sounding words? Here are a few to get you started:
- I know they’re there because I saw their car parked outside.
- Their friend said they’re having a great time there!
- They’re getting their nails done there.
The English language is full of pairs or triplets of words that sound the same, called homophones. They can confuse even native speakers at times!
We hope that this explanation of the difference between there, they’re and their, with examples, will help you avoid common mistakes with these easily confused words. If you have any questions about specific examples, feel free to leave a comment below.
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