There vs Their vs They’re: Which One Do You Need?
There is a place. Their shows possession. They’re is they are.
Put it over there. Their car. They’re late.
The test that settles it
Try they are. If the sentence still works, the answer is they’re. If not, ask whether you mean a place or an owner.
“___ coats are wet” → the coats belong to them, so their.
“___ not coming” → they are not coming, so they’re.
There contains here — both are places. Their contains heir — and an heir owns things.
There: a place, or an empty subject
It points to a location, and it also opens sentences where nothing else can: there is, there are, there seems.
The keys are over there.
There are three options.
We got there by six.
Does it contain here? Then it is the place word.
Their: belonging to them
A possessive determiner. It always sits in front of a noun, and it is now also standard for a single person of unknown or non-binary gender.
Their house is the blue one.
The team lost their nerve.
Someone left their bag.
Is a noun coming next, and does someone own it? Then their.
They’re: they are
A contraction, and the apostrophe stands for the missing a. It can only ever be expanded back to they are.
They’re waiting outside.
I think they’re ready.
They’re the ones who called.
Expand it to they are. If it reads, they’re.
Side by side
| There | Their | They’re |
|---|---|---|
| A place, or an opener | Belonging to them | They are |
| Adverb, pronoun | Determiner | Contraction |
| Contains here | Contains heir | Has an apostrophe |
| Over there | Their turn | They’re here |
The exceptions
There’s is there is. Theirs is the possessive pronoun and takes no apostrophe at all: the blue one is theirs.
Their’s is never correct in any context.
Everyone should bring their own lunch has been standard English since Chaucer, and every major style guide now accepts it. It is not a grammatical error.
Where people get it wrong
| Incorrect | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Their going to be late. | They’re going to be late. | They are. |
| The book is their’s. | The book is theirs. | No apostrophe. |
| Put it over their. | Put it over there. | A place. |
| They’re coats are soaked. | Their coats are soaked. | Possession. |
Practice — choose the right word, then check yourself.
- ___ are two left.
- ___ house backs onto the park.
- I hope ___ not offended.
- The red car is ___.
- We will meet you ___.
Show the answers
1. There 2. Their 3. they’re 4. theirs 5. there
Frequently asked
Which is the most common error?
Their for they’re. The they are expansion catches it every time.
Is their ever singular?
Yes. Somebody left their coat is standard, and has been for centuries.
More words people confuse
