Homophones: Their vs. There vs. They’re

One popular puzzler for writers far and wide is when to use their vs. there vs. they’re.

Understanding these and other homophones comes down to one of two things: either knowing their part of speech (e.g. is it a noun or verb?) or just memorizing them. We can help you with using the correct spelling of their vs. there vs. they’re by breaking down parts of speech and how each is used so you can write like a pro.

Parts of speech

Let’s get started by looking at some parts of speech, what they are, and what they do. After each, we’ll address using their vs. there vs. they’re.

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What is a possessive pronoun? Let’s visit pronouns before getting into possessive pronouns. First things first, don’t confuse pronouns with proper nouns. A pronoun is not an abbreviation; it’s a separate part of speech. A pronoun is a word that describes a noun without using the actual noun. The most common pronouns we use in daily speech are he, she, him, her, and they. Each of these pronouns is used in place of a specific person or group of people. A possessive pronoun describes possession, again, without using the noun. Referring back to the pronouns used above, the possessive pronouns in these instances would be his, hers, and theirs.

How to use their

Their is a possessive pronoun. Each time you’re using their, you’re referencing an unnamed person or group of people. The unnamed person doesn’t always have to be ambiguous. Instead, they can be inferred because you identified them in a previous sentence or part of the sentence. (e.g., Joe and Jane will be late today because their car broke down.)

What is an adverb? An adverb is a word or phrase that can will modify a verb, adjective, or another adverb. You can use an adverb to describe relation to a manner in which you do something, a place, time, or cause. For instance, if you say somebody ran, you can modify “ran” by using “quickly” or “slowly” to describe how the person ran. One instance of using an adverb that can feel somewhat obscure is using an adverb to modify a location. Words like here, there, wherever, and others will describe a location. You probably use “where” adverbs without even thinking about it. (e.g., They’re coming to New York next week because they want to see the sights here.)

What is an interjection? An interjection is an abrupt word or statement used to interrupt or used as an aside. Words like ah, stop, no, and wait can all be considered interjections because a speaker can use them to interrupt another person or as an aside that the person to whom they’re speaking isn’t meant to hear.

How to use there.

There is a versatile word that can be used in many different ways. It can be an adverb, pronoun, noun, adjective, or interjection. We might not often think of there as an adverb, but we also use it this way more than we think. The adverb there is used to modify a location you previously mentioned in a sentence. (e.g., I’ve been to Miami; we played a show there.)

Using there as an interjection is quite common. You might use there to get someone’s attention while pointing toward something. (e.g., “Where did you put the remote?” “There!” as you point to the other side of the room.) It can also be used as an interjection as a sign of relief. (e.g., There, the project is finally finished.)

What is a contraction? Writing by hand can be labor intensive and time consuming. Contractions were invented to save time and space by combining words using an apostrophe. The apostrophe in contractions is used to replace one or more letters. Words like can’t, let’s, it’s, and wouldn’t are contractions. Remember that a contraction is different than a possessive noun, so the contraction is used differently.

How to use they’re.

Sometimes our first reaction to seeing an apostrophe is that we’re looking at a possessive noun. However, they’re has nothing at all to do with possession. They’re is a contraction combining they are. The best way to remember the correct usage of they’re is by breaking it into two words. Does they are fit in the sentence? If yes, then they’re is the correct spelling.

Using homophones can be tricky. One of the best ways to make sure you’re using the correct spelling for a specific word is to ask yourself what you’re trying to say. Are you trying to show possession or say, they are? If neither is true, there is your correct spelling. Don’t get stuck overthinking how to use their vs. there vs. they’re. Use these tips to help correctly identify the right homophones and boost your writing skills.