There, their, and they're: when to use each one

There points to a place or says that something exists, their shows that something belongs to them, and they're is short for they are. To pick the right one, try replacing it with here, our, or they are: the word that still makes sense is the correct one.

Words that sound exactly the same but are spelled differently and, on top of that, mean entirely different things can be annoying. Your and you're is probably the best-known pair of such often misused words (see your and you're). This article looks at a similar trio: there, their, and they're.

How are they used correctly?

Words that sound alike but are spelled differently are called homophones. Their counterparts are homographs: words that are spelled the same but pronounced differently, such as read in the present tense ("I read every day") and read in the past tense ("I read it yesterday"). The difference between homonyms, homophones, and homographs explains all three.

First, look at the contexts in which each of the three words is used. After that, you will find some tips to help you remember when to use there, their, and they're.

There

The word there can be used in two ways, as the following examples show:

1. "Look at the dog over there!"
2. "It was very cold there during the summer."
3. "There is a bright blue crayon in the box."
4. "Did you know that there was a big fire on Fifth Avenue last night?"

In example 1, there refers to a place, in this case a very concrete one. It can also refer to a place that the sentence does not name, as in example 2. Here, the exact place is not defined in the sentence itself.

In example 3, there is paired with a form of the verb to be. In this use, there says that something exists, such as the blue crayon, or it introduces something that has not been mentioned before, as in example 4.

Their

Their is the possessive form of they, the third person plural. It shows that something belongs to a group of people (or to one person whose pronoun is they). Grammars call it a possessive determiner or possessive adjective; the matching pronoun is theirs (see possessive adjectives and pronouns).

1. "Their mascot did a great job at the last game." (talking about a sports team)
2. "My friends forgot their 3D glasses at home, so now we have to buy new ones for them."

They're

They're may look like a single word, but in fact it is two. It is a contraction of they and are, joined with an apostrophe. So it can never show that something belongs to someone. Take these sentences, for example:

1. "I love your new shoes. They are so cute!"
2. "I love your new shoes. They're so cute!"

The two sentences mean exactly the same. Both say that the speaker is talking about a set of things (here: shoes) and the state they are in (here: cute).

Easy ways to remember

Now that you know when each word should be used, here are some tricks to check whether you are using the right one. It is very simple: ask yourself these questions.

1. Can I replace there with here? If so, there is correct.
2. Can I replace their with our? If so, their is correct.
3. Can I replace they're with they are? If so, they're is correct.

You can also learn from your mistakes. Go through an old text of yours (or of someone else) and try to find such mistakes. Because all three are real words, a plain dictionary check does not flag them. The AI Spell Checker reads whole sentences, so it also catches a real word in the wrong place. Go through the words it marks and see whether you found them as well.

As always, practice makes perfect.