- If “they are” fits in the word’s place, the word you want is they’re.
- The word “here” is hiding inside there: a hint that you are pointing at a place.
- All three spellings are real words, which is why a spell checker lets the wrong one through.
You’re typing the family recap after a weekend at the lake, and the last line reads “a quiet spot over their.” Your thumb hovers over Send, because something in that phrase feels off. The three words sound exactly alike, so your ear will not catch the slip, and a spell checker will not flag it either. A one-minute test for each word catches it, and Antoine gives the whole message a final read before you hit Send.
What there, their, and they’re each mean
All three are homophones: one sound, three spellings. The meaning rides on the letters, so it pays to know what each spelling does:
| Word | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| there | Points at a place, or announces that something exists | “The shop you need is over there.” |
| their | Marks what belongs to them | “The trees are losing their leaves.” |
| they’re | Stands for they are, every time | “They’re making dinner.” |
These sentences come straight from the Cambridge Grammar, the Merriam-Webster usage guide, and the Purdue OWL writing guide.
One test per word, in your own sentence
Whichever of the three you typed, one of these checks settles it in seconds:
-
Swap in “they are”
If the sentence still works, write they’re. It is the only one of the three that carries an apostrophe, because it is the only one that shortens two words into one. “They’re funny people.” becomes “They are funny people.”
-
Look for “here” inside there
Those four letters are a clue: there, like here, points at a spot. When there shows up in front of is, are, was, or were, the sentence is saying that something exists: “There is a large oak tree outside the hotel.”
-
Spot “heir” inside their
Heir is buried inside their, a reminder that the word is about possession, about what belongs to them. Spelling hint: their begins with the same three letters as they, which keeps thier off the page.
The look-alikes: theirs, there’s, and there’re
Three more forms grow from the main three. Each one breaks the pattern in its own way:
Stands alone
Theirs
Theirs means “the one(s) belonging to or connected with them,” so it works without a noun: “Which children are theirs?” Their, by contrast, always sits in front of a noun.
One thing at a time
There’s
There’s is the short form of there is or there has, and it covers one item only: “there are many mistakes,” never “there is many mistakes.”
Skip it on paper
There’re
Some people squeeze there are into there’re, but a university writing guide counts it as nonstandard, and people who use it often slip into they’re or even their by mistake. Write there are.
Why spell check stays silent, and how Antoine reads the whole message
Each of the three wrong picks is still a real word, correctly spelled. Purdue OWL’s proofreading guide names the blind spot:
“Take special care of homonyms like your/you’re, to/too/two, and there/their/they’re, as spell check will not recognize these as errors.”
Antoine, the spelling coach on Nation AI, takes the whole message at once. A text like the one below, the kind a family chat produces, comes back like this:
Before
“We had a lovely weekend at the lake, and they’re was plenty of sunshine. The kids forgot thier towels, so we shared ours. We found a quiet spot over their and had a picnic. They’re planning to come over next weekend, and we can show them the photos. Everyone had a great time, and we hope theyre free again soon.”
After
“We had a lovely weekend at the lake, and there was plenty of sunshine. The kids forgot their towels, so we shared ours. We found a quiet spot over there and had a picnic. They’re planning to come over next weekend, and we can show them the photos. Everyone had a great time, and we hope they’re free again soon.”
Antoine fixes all four slips, and the message keeps its own wording: sixty words in, sixty words out.
The reply is the corrected text, nothing else. Antoine explains himself only when you ask, and even then he keeps it brief.
Example conversation
Why “their towels”? Why not “there towels”?
“Their shows possession; here, the towels belonged to the kids.”
That is what an AI grammar checker adds: it reads what the sentence is trying to say, not just how each word is spelled.
If English is your second language, practicing with an AI coach means more sentences with the three words.
Antoine
AI spell checker
“Paste the text you want checked: I correct the spelling, grammar, and punctuation, and your words stay yours. When you want the reason for a fix, ask me and I will give it.”
Send the recap with a clear mind
Paste your message, get the corrected text back, and ask for the reasons you want.
Frequently asked questions
How do I choose between there, their, and they’re?
Ask what the word is doing: pointing at a place or announcing that something exists means there; belonging to them means their; and if “they are” can take its place, they’re is the word.
Is it “over there” or “over their”?
“Over there,” always: the phrase points at a place, as in “My house is over there.” Their carries belonging, so it has no role in that phrase.
Do theirs and there’s mean the same thing?
No. Theirs is the stand-alone form: it means the one belonging to them, with no noun after it. There’s packs there is or there has into one word, as in “There’s a restaurant around the corner.”
Is “there’re” acceptable in writing?
It is nonstandard in writing, and people who use it often land on they’re or their by mistake. The safe form on paper is there are.
Sources
- They’re, there, and their: the Merriam-Webster usage guide, Merriam-Webster.
- There, their, or they’re: the Cambridge Grammar page, Cambridge Dictionary.
- their, theirs, there’s: the Cambridge Dictionary entries, Cambridge Dictionary.
- there: the Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries entry, Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries.
- Common words that sound alike: the Purdue OWL spelling guide, Purdue OWL.
- Proofreading for errors: the Purdue OWL guide, Purdue OWL.
- they’re, their, there: the Towson University writing guide, Towson University.
- The Washington State University pages on they’re / their / there and on there’s, by Paul Brians, 2016.
One more writing question?
Alex, the generalist assistant on Nation AI, takes on any other writing task.
