Although they might sound exactly the same when spoken, these three words have very different meanings, and very different spellings! Identifying which is the right one to use can be tricky, especially for those for whom English is a second language. Familiarise yourself with their meanings below.
They’re
‘They’re’ is simply a contraction of the two words ‘they’ and ‘are’. If quoting a colloquial piece of speech, you might write, ‘they’re leaving for Paris in the morning’, meaning ‘they are leaving for Paris in the morning’. Be aware that contractions are not generally appropriate in academic writing and should be avoided. Instead the two words should be spelled out fully and properly.
There
The adverb ‘there’ is used to describe a place or location, as in, ‘he is standing over there’. It can also be used as a pronoun, often at the beginning of a sentence, in cases where the verb comes before the subject, as in, ‘There is little reason to believe…’
Their
The word ‘their’ is the possessive of ‘they’. It comes before a noun to indicate that the noun in question belongs to ‘them’, whoever ‘they’ may be. You could, therefore, write about ‘their belongings’, ‘their pet dog’ or even an abstract noun such as ‘their bravery’.
‘Their’ is also used when preceded by an indefinite singular subject such as ‘someone’, ‘everyone’ or ‘nobody’. In this context, it would be used thus: ‘Someone has left their wallet here’. Without knowing if the subject is male or female, you are unable to write either ‘someone has left his wallet here’ or ‘someone has left her wallet here’. The pronoun ‘their’ is the appropriate word choice in this instance.
They’re
‘They’re’ is simply a contraction of the two words ‘they’ and ‘are’. If quoting a colloquial piece of speech, you might write, ‘they’re leaving for Paris in the morning’, meaning ‘they are leaving for Paris in the morning’. Be aware that contractions are not generally appropriate in academic writing and should be avoided. Instead the two words should be spelled out fully and properly.
There
The adverb ‘there’ is used to describe a place or location, as in, ‘he is standing over there’. It can also be used as a pronoun, often at the beginning of a sentence, in cases where the verb comes before the subject, as in, ‘There is little reason to believe…’
Their
The word ‘their’ is the possessive of ‘they’. It comes before a noun to indicate that the noun in question belongs to ‘them’, whoever ‘they’ may be. You could, therefore, write about ‘their belongings’, ‘their pet dog’ or even an abstract noun such as ‘their bravery’.
‘Their’ is also used when preceded by an indefinite singular subject such as ‘someone’, ‘everyone’ or ‘nobody’. In this context, it would be used thus: ‘Someone has left their wallet here’. Without knowing if the subject is male or female, you are unable to write either ‘someone has left his wallet here’ or ‘someone has left her wallet here’. The pronoun ‘their’ is the appropriate word choice in this instance.