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Their, There, and They're | Grammar Differences

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Born in Málaga, Spain, Cris has always had a passion for languages; learning English as a second language himself. Cris has worked for in a wide variety of roles for different companies in the ELT space. Cris is a musician, a basketballer and self-professed “gamer”.

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12 January 2021

"Their", "there" and "they're" are homophones, which mean they sound the same but have different meaning. So when do you know how to use each one? These three words are often confused with one another, but we hope this guide will clear it up! They all sound very similar. However, they have different spellings and meanings. Take a look at the definitions below and see how quickly you can pick up the correct usages.

Their

A possessive adjective that refers to something that belongs to more than one person.

That is their cat.
Their football game starts at 6.

There

A place; or used with the word "are" or "is".

It is sometimes used as an adverb.

The box is over there.

…and sometimes used as a pronoun:

There is a chocolate cake in the fridge.

They're

This is a contraction – or combination – of the words “they" and "are."

They're going to New York this year.
They’re waiting for us at the restaurant.

Quick Tips: If you're able to replace the word with "they are," use "they're." If the word means "belonging to them," use "their." Otherwise, there is only one correct answer: "there."

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