The 10-Second Answer
Use they’re if you can replace it with they are. Use their if you mean something belongs to or is connected with someone. Use there for a place—or to introduce a sentence such as “There’s a problem.” Three words, one sound, and a test you can run before you hit send.
If you’ve ever typed “Their over there” and felt a tiny alarm go off, you’re in good company. These words are homophones: they sound alike but have different spellings and meanings. Your ears can’t choose between them; the rest of the sentence has to do that.
Run the Test: Expand, Connect, Locate
When you’re stuck, try these three checks in order:
- Expand it. Does they are fit? Write they’re.
- Find the connection. Is something associated with a person or group? Write their.
- Check what’s left. Are you pointing to a place or saying that something exists? Write there.
Try it with: “___ bringing ___ dog over ___.”
“They are bringing” works, so the first blank is they’re. The dog is connected with them, so the second is their. “Over” points to a place, so the third is there:
They’re bringing their dog over there.
That sentence is doing all three jobs at once. The dog, thankfully, only has to do one: arrive.
“They’re” Means “They Are”
They’re is a contraction—a shortened form of they are. The apostrophe marks the missing letter in are. If you can expand the word without changing the sentence’s meaning, you’ve found your answer.
They’re running late. → They are running late.
I think they’re ready. → I think they are ready.
They’re the neighbors with the enormous inflatable pumpkin. → They are the neighbors…
Notice that they’re can come right before a noun: “They’re the neighbors.” So “the next word is a noun” is not a foolproof way to choose their. Expanding the contraction is a better test.
Now try “They’re backpacks are by the door.” Expanded, that becomes “They are backpacks are by the door.” Unless the backpacks have developed unusual powers, you need their.
“Their” Shows a Connection
Their tells us that something belongs to or is associated with someone. It commonly appears before a noun:
Their coats are still on the chairs.
I admire their patience.
Have you heard their new song?
The connection doesn’t have to be literal ownership. Nobody owns patience in the way they own a coat; their patience simply means the patience associated with them. And the people referred to can be a group—or one person. “Someone left their umbrella” is a standard use of singular they. For a closer look, see Uncover Words’ guide to when “they” becomes singular.
There’s no apostrophe in their, even though it can show possession. The apostrophe in they’re means letters have been left out; it doesn’t mean ownership. If that feels like a familiar trap, the same distinction turns up in “your” versus “you’re”.
One more useful distinction: their usually goes with a noun, while theirs can stand alone.
That is their table.
That table is theirs.
Neither word needs an apostrophe. Their’s is not the possessive you’re looking for.
“There” Does More Than Point
The easiest version of there points to a place:
Leave the package over there.
Is anyone there?
We went there last summer.
For these examples, think of there as a cousin of here. “Leave it over here” makes sense; “Leave it over their” does not.
But location isn’t the whole story. There also introduces statements and questions about something existing or happening:
There is a message for you.
There are three cookies left.
Is there another option?
Those sentences aren’t necessarily pointing to a spot on a map. “Here” won’t reliably replace there in them, so don’t make the location trick your only rule. The MLA Style Center’s explanation of the three words covers this broader use of there.
You’ll also meet there’s, which means there is or there has:
There’s a note on the fridge. → There is a note on the fridge.
There’s been a change of plans. → There has been a change of plans.
That apostrophe is doing a different job from the one in they’re. To check it, expand there’s—not they’re. English keeps us busy.
Why Spell-Check Might Miss It
All three words are correctly spelled words. If you type “Their going to the park,” a basic spell-check can recognize every word and still miss the mistake. Purdue OWL’s proofreading advice specifically warns writers to check sound-alike words such as there, their, and they’re rather than relying on spell-check alone.
A quick proofreading pass is more useful than staring at the word until every spelling looks suspicious. Read the sentence for meaning, then apply the test:
- “Their going to call.” Does they are fit? Yes: They’re going to call.
- “I borrowed they’re charger.” Does they are charger fit? No. The charger is connected with them: their charger.
- “Put the charger over their.” Is this a place? Yes: over there.
- “Their are no outlets.” Are you saying outlets don’t exist? Yes: There are no outlets.
The trick is to check what the word does, not how it sounds. That’s why a sentence can sail past your ears but snag your eyes—a problem Uncover Words explores in why you can’t always trust your ear with English grammar.
A Tiny Quiz Before You Go
Choose there, their, or they’re for each blank. Give yourself ten seconds per sentence; no grammar ceremony required.
- ___ saving us a seat.
- Did they bring ___ tickets?
- I left the tickets right over ___.
- ___ seems to be a mistake on the invitation.
- ___ excited about ___ trip.
Answers:
- They’re—they are saving us a seat.
- Their—the tickets are associated with them.
- There—you’re pointing to a place.
- There—the sentence introduces the existence of a mistake.
- They’re, their—they are excited about the trip connected with them.
The whole test is worth keeping in your back pocket: they are → they’re; connected with them → their; place or existence → there. You don’t need to hear a difference. You just need to give each word its proper job.