You type a sentence, get to the word “there,” and your fingers freeze for half a second. Is it “their,” “they’re,” or the one you already typed? All three sound identical when spoken, which is exactly why they’re some of the most misspelled words in the English language, even among native speakers who’ve spoken English their entire lives.
This isn’t a knowledge problem so much as a recognition problem. You already know all three meanings. What you need is a fast, reliable way to check which one belongs in the sentence you’re writing right now, plus enough practice that the check becomes automatic instead of a pause every time. That’s exactly what this guide gives you, along with a look at why this particular mix-up survives even at advanced English levels, and how it connects to the wider family of English homophones covered in our guide to to vs too.
The Three Words at a Glance
Before going deeper, here’s the full picture in one place. Bookmark this table if nothing else sticks.
| Word | Function | Example |
|---|---|---|
| There | Adverb of place / introduces existence | “The keys are over there.” / “There is a problem.” |
| Their | Possessive adjective (belongs to them) | “That’s their car.” |
| They’re | Contraction of “they are” | “They’re coming to the party.” |
“There”: Place and Existence
“There” does two jobs. First, it points to a location, the opposite of “here.” Second, and this is the one people forget, it introduces the existence of something with the pattern “there is / there are / there was / there were.” Neither job has anything to do with ownership or with the verb “to be” in its contracted form, which is exactly where the confusion with the other two words starts.
- Put the box over there. — location.
- There are three chairs in the room. — introducing existence.
- There used to be a bakery on this street. — existence, past.
- I’ve never been there. — location, referring back to a place already mentioned.
“Their”: Possession, Nothing Else
“Their” is a possessive adjective, exactly like “my,” “your,” “his,” or “our.” It always sits directly before a noun and tells you who owns or is associated with that noun. If you can replace the word with “my” or “our” and the sentence still makes grammatical sense, you need “their.” This single substitution test resolves more than half the confusion on its own, and it works the same way our guide to modal verbs uses substitution tests to sort out can, could, and should.
- Their house is the blue one. — test: “our house” works, so “their” is correct.
- They forgot their passports.
- Every student must bring their own laptop. — “their” used as a gender-neutral singular possessive, standard in modern English.
“They’re”: Always a Contraction
“They’re” is nothing more than “they are” with the letters squeezed together and an apostrophe standing in for the missing letter. It has no other job, no exceptions, no idiomatic use. The single fastest way to check yourself is to mentally expand the contraction back into “they are” and see if the sentence still works.
- They’re leaving tomorrow. — expands to “They are leaving tomorrow.” Correct.
- They’re the best team in the league. — expands to “They are the best team.” Correct.
- They’re happy with the results.
The “They Are” Test
Read the sentence back replacing the word with “they are.” If it still makes sense, you need they’re. If it sounds broken, it’s either there or their.
The “My/Our” Test
Try replacing the word with “my” or “our.” If the sentence still makes grammatical sense, you need their. If not, it’s there.
Why This Mistake Survives Even at Advanced Levels
Homophones are a genuinely different challenge from most vocabulary mistakes, because the error is invisible in speech. You can speak flawlessly and still write “there” instead of “their” your entire life if nobody points it out, since your ear never flags a problem that only exists on the page. This is precisely why written correction from a tutor catches errors that years of listening and speaking practice never will, and it’s the same reason our article on 15 common English grammar mistakes treats homophones as their own category rather than folding them into general grammar. If your writing in general feels shakier than your speaking, our guide to English writing skills and English sentence structure both address the broader pattern.
8 Real Sentences People Get Wrong
| Wrong | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| “Its over their.” | “It’s over there.” | Location, not possession or contraction |
| “They’re car broke down.” | “Their car broke down.” | Possession, test with “our car” |
| “There going to be late.” | “They’re going to be late.” | Expands to “they are,” needs the contraction |
| “Is there dog friendly?” | “Is their dog friendly?” | Possession: whose dog |
| “Their are five apples left.” | “There are five apples left.” | Introducing existence, not possession |
| “They’re house has a pool.” | “Their house has a pool.” | Possession, test with “our house” |
| “I put it over they’re.” | “I put it over there.” | Location, doesn’t expand to “they are” |
| “Their coming over later.” | “They’re coming over later.” | Expands to “they are coming,” needs the contraction |
Practice: Test Yourself
Fill in the Blank
1. ___ going to the concert tonight. 2. I left my keys over ___. 3. Is that ___ new apartment? 4. ___ are too many people in this room. 5. ___ planning to move next year. 6. The dog buried ___ bone over ___. 7. ___ is no easy answer to this. 8. ___ parents are visiting this weekend.
Correct the Mistake
- “There going to love this restaurant.”
- “I think its over they’re.”
- “Is there house the one with the red door?”
Writing Challenge
Write four sentences about a family you know, using “there,” “their,” and “they’re” at least twice each. For a tutor to check your version and catch any slips, you can book a Free Lesson.
Answer Key
- Fill in the blank: 1-They’re, 2-there, 3-their, 4-There, 5-They’re, 6-their / there, 7-There, 8-Their
- Correction 1: “They’re going to love this restaurant.”
- Correction 2: “I think it’s over there.”
- Correction 3: “Is their house the one with the red door?”
Make These Automatic With Real Feedback
Reading the rule is the easy part. What actually fixes homophone mistakes long-term is writing real sentences and having someone flag the exact moment you slip, since your own eyes tend to skip over an error you’ve made a hundred times before. Our English courses build this kind of precision into regular writing practice, and a tutor reviewing your work catches patterns you can’t see in your own writing. You can start with a private English tutor or try a Free Session to see how personalized correction works before committing further.
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Frequently Asked Questions About There, Their, and They’re
What’s the fastest way to check if I need “they’re”?
Mentally replace the word with “they are.” If the sentence still works, you need “they’re.” If not, it’s “there” or “their.”
How do I know if I need “their” instead of “there”?
Try replacing it with “my” or “our.” If the sentence still makes sense, you need “their,” since it’s a possessive.
What does “there” actually mean?
“There” points to a location or introduces existence (“there is,” “there are”) and has no connection to ownership or to the verb “to be.”
Can “their” be used for a single person?
Yes, in modern English “their” is widely accepted as a gender-neutral singular possessive: “Everyone should bring their own lunch.”
Why do even native speakers mix these up?
Because all three sound identical when spoken, so your ear never catches the error the way it would with a mispronounced word.
Is “they’re” ever used to show possession?
No, never. “They’re” only ever means “they are” and has no other function in English.
What’s the difference between “there is” and “there are”?
“There is” introduces a single item or an uncountable noun; “there are” introduces plural countable nouns: “There is milk in the fridge” vs. “There are eggs in the fridge.”
How can I stop mixing these up permanently?
Read the sentence aloud and mentally test both substitutions (“they are” and “my/our”); whichever one makes the sentence still make sense tells you the answer, and if neither works, it’s “there.”
Is “its” vs “it’s” the same kind of mistake?
It’s a fixed exception: the possessive pronoun for “it” is “its” with no apostrophe, while “it’s” is always the contraction of “it is,” following the same logic as “they’re.”
What’s the best way to fix this permanently?
A tutor who reviews your actual writing and flags the exact sentence where the mistake happens works far faster than reading rules alone, since it connects the correction to a real sentence you wrote yourself.
