When to Use Their, They’re, or There?
If it’s a trouble to explain the difference between these frequently mistaken homophones, they’re, their, and there, then stick around. Chances are, you may need to flex your grammar (with Grammarflex!)
Their, They’re, or There
| Part of speech | Meaning | Sentence example | |
| There | adverb | in, at, or to that place or position | We went to Paris and stayed there for eleven days. |
| Their | possessive pronoun | meaning belonging to them | Someone left their purse on the bus. |
| They’re | contraction | they + are | They’re two of my favorite books. |
“There” means that place
There (pronounced the-hr) is an adverb of place meaning “in or at that place”. As in, “hey man, don’t go over there! Not that place!” Or, “why do we have to go there?” Where “there” physically is, is usually made clear from the context.
Since ‘there’ refers to a place or location where something’s happening, a trick to remember its meaning is to associate it with the word “here“, since “there” shares the same spelling as “here“, (except for the “t”, of course).
- ‘There‘ is often used as a contraction with an apostrophe “s”, there’s.
- There’s (contracted form) is there + is or there + has:
- There’s been a lot of snow this week (there + has); There’s food at home (there + is).
| Sentences with the adverb “there” |
| Hey man, don’t go over there! There’s my phone! There’s been a disturbance. |
“Their” (possessive pronoun)
‘Their‘ is the possessive form of the pronoun ‘they’ (a third-person plural or gender-neutral pronoun). ‘Their‘ indicates possession, ownership, association, or belonging.
| Sentences with “their” |
| I babysat their kids. Their car is red. I already gave them their coats. |
“They’re” is a contraction (they + are)
They’re is a contraction of they + are = they’re. It’s the easiest of the bunch to get right since it’s simply a shorthand.
| Sentences with “they’re” |
| They’re here! They’re my favourite band. I recommend the salad and the soup; they’re the best on the menu. |
Word origin
From Old Norse þierra “of them.”
In review: their, they’re, or there
- They’re: is a contraction (smush together two words, use an apostrophe) of they + are = they’re.
- Their: is the possessive pronoun form of they, and signals that something belongs or is tied to someone.
- There: is most often used as an adverb of place meaning ‘over there’ or ‘in that place.’
Other commonly confused words
- Is it Elude or Allude?
- When To Use Infer vs. Imply
- What’s the Difference Between Invoke and Evoke?
- Is it Allot, A lot or Alot?
- Which is it: Allusion or Illusion?
- Insure, Ensure or Assure?
- Averse or Adverse?
- “Accept” vs. “Except”: What’s the Difference?
