there, their and they're

Linguistic Reminder

(A similar problem is discussed in French in the reminder Leur et leurs.)

Problem

It's confusing when two words sound alike, but it's chaos when three or more are similarly pronounced. There and their, and even they're, cause many headaches for writers and editors alike.

Solution

Use there

as an introductory subject
- There is no easy solution.
as an interjection
- There, now I'm done.
as an adverb meaning "in that location"
- We'll be there tomorrow.
as a noun meaning "that place"
- From there, we flew to Paris.

Tip: The word here is contained in the word there.

Use their

as a possessive meaning "belonging to them"
- Their furniture is built to last.

Tip: If you can substitute our, the word their is correct. For example:

Their (Our) demands are clear.

Use they're

as a contraction of they are
- They're having a winning streak.

Tip: If you can substitute they are, use they're. For example:

The pundits think they're (or they are) right, but we know they're wrong.

Linguistic Reminder reference number

REM-11/2009-03

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