There vs. Their vs. They're: The "Here" Trick to Fix Your Grammar

There, their, and they’re are three words that often cause confusion in English writing. They sound exactly the same when spoken, but their meanings and grammatical roles are completely different. Because they are homophones, it is easy to mix them up in spelling.

A simple way to avoid mistakes is to focus on what each word does in a sentence: one refers to a place or existence, one shows possession, and one is a contraction of two words.

There vs. Their vs. They’re

There

The word there is commonly used as an adverb of place. It refers to a location or position.

Example:

The book is over there on the shelf.
We walked over there to see the view.

There is also used as a grammatical subject to introduce sentences, especially in expressions like there is or there are.

There is a tree in the backyard.
There are many people waiting outside.

Their

Their is a possessive adjective. It shows that something belongs to a group of people or things. Because it is an adjective, it always appears before a noun.

Examples:

Their car is parked in the garage.
Their house is beautiful.
Their dog is playing in the yard.

The possessive pronoun form related to this word is theirs.

This house is theirs.

They’re

They’re is a contraction of they are. It combines the pronoun they with the verb are.

Examples:

They’re going to the beach.
They’re excited about the trip.
I think they’re ready to start.

If the phrase they are fits naturally in the sentence, then they’re is the correct spelling.

Simple Trick to Remember

A quick visual trick can help keep these words clear:

There contains the word here → relates to a place or location.
Their shows possession → something belongs to them.
They’re contains an apostrophe → it means they are.

Example sentence that shows all three:

They’re standing over there with their dog.

In this sentence, they’re means they are, there refers to a location, and their shows ownership.

Last Updated on March 4, 2026

Author
Recent Posts

Nhat Nhat

English Teacher | IELTS Instructor | English Learning Content Creator at ESLTeacher.org

Nhat Nhat is an English teacher and IELTS instructor specializing in grammar, academic writing, and English learning resources. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Education from Hanoi National University of Education (HNUE), an IELTS 8.0 certificate, and TESOL / TEFL teaching certifications. With over 9 years of teaching experience, he creates practical lessons and educational content to help learners improve their English skills and exam performance.

There vs. Their vs. They’re: The “Here” Trick to Fix Your Grammar