Their, there, and they're are among the most common mistakes in English writing. They sound exactly the same, so spell check won't always catch them. Here is how to choose the right one every time.

The short answer #

Word Meaning Example
their belonging to them Their car is red.
there a place, or "there is/are" Put the box over there.
they're short for they are They're coming tomorrow.

Their: something belongs to them #

Their is a possessive word, like my, your, or our. It is always followed by a noun, the thing that belongs to them.

  • The students forgot their homework.
  • Have you met their new dog?

There: a place or existence #

There points to a place, or introduces that something exists.

  • I left my keys there.
  • There are three mistakes in this sentence.
  • Is there a coffee shop nearby?

They're: they are #

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

  • They're late again. → They are late again.
  • I think they're right. → I think they are right.

A quick trick to remember #

  1. Try replacing it with "they are." If the sentence still makes sense, use they're.
  2. Look for "here" inside "there." Both words are about places: here and there.
  3. Look for "heir" inside "their." An heir owns something, and their shows ownership.

Common mistakes #

Wrong Right
Their going to the park. They're going to the park.
I love there house. I love their house.
They're is a problem. There is a problem.

Let your phone check it for you #

Because all three words are spelled correctly, a basic spell checker often misses them. AI Grammar Checker reads the whole sentence, so it knows when their should be they're and fixes it in one tap.