Little Book of Confusables

There vs their vs they’re: top tips to help you get it right

Using the wrong there/their/they’re is a common mistake – here are some simple tips to make sure you get it right.

In a nutshell, if the word means ‘belonging to them’ use their. If you can replace the word with ‘they are’ use they’re. Otherwise, use there.

There

It’s ‘here’ with a T: think here and there.

Example:

Did I leave my phone here? No, it’s over there.

Their

Used to indicate that a noun (thing) belongs to them.

Example:

That’s their house. 

They’re

The apostrophe reminds you that ‘they’re’ is a contraction of two words: they are. Think of they’re as they are and you’ll know if your sentence makes sense.

Examples:

Look at the statue over they are: no – should be there

The boys are taking they are cars: no – should be their

They are here already: yes – they’re here already


ADVANCED – if you’re already confused, you might want to skip this.

Remember, there’s means there IS. Don’t write there’s when you mean there ARE.

Example:

There’s lots to do here – *applause*

There’s lots of cars in the car park – quack quack oops

Get more tips in The Little Book of Confusables

Confusables: THEIR vs THERE vs THEY'RE. Simple spelling tips to remember the difference, from The Little Book of Confusables

THEIR vs THERE vs THEY’RE. Excerpt from The Little Book of Confusables by Sarah Townsend.

The Little Book of Confusables by Sarah Townsend

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The Little Book of Confusables is jam-packed with simple, memorable, fun spelling tips for 600 commonly confused words – from ACCEPT + EXCEPT to YOUNG + YOUTHFUL.

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