Grammar · Commonly confused words · A2 · Elementary

Their vs There vs They're

Last updated 21 July 2026

In short

Their is a possessive determiner meaning 'belonging to them': 'their car.' There points to a place or introduces existence: 'over there', 'there is a problem.' They're is a contraction of 'they are': 'They're late.' Test each word: swap in 'they are' for they're, check for possession for their, and check for location for there.

Their vs there vs they're at a glance

	Their	There
Function	Possessive determiner — belonging to them	Refers to a place, or introduces existence (there is/are)
Apostrophe	Never has an apostrophe	Never has an apostrophe
Followed by	A noun: their house, their plan, their children	A verb (there is/are/was) or a location: over there, sit there
Expansion test ('they are')	Fails — cannot mean 'they are'	Fails — cannot mean 'they are'
Example	Their flight was delayed.	There was a delay at the gate.
The third word: they're	Not their if it means 'they are' — that's they're	Not there if it means 'they are' — that's they're
Memory trick	Their has 'heir' inside it — an heir owns things	There contains 'here' — both are places

What's the difference between their, there, and they're?

These three words sound identical but do three completely different jobs. Their is a possessive determiner meaning 'belonging to them', and it always sits before a noun: their house, their decision, their neighbours. There points to a place ('put it there', 'I've never been there') or introduces existence in the pattern 'there is/are/was/were'.

They're is always a contraction of 'they are' — nothing more. If a sentence can be rephrased with 'they are' and still make sense, it needs they're; otherwise it needs one of the other two.

The tourists left their luggage at the hotel.(possession — belongs to the tourists)
There is a beautiful park near the river.(introduces existence)
They're planning to visit Cape Town next spring.(= they are planning)

How do you test which of the three you need?

Run three quick checks in order. First, try 'they are' — if it fits, use they're. Second, check whether the word shows ownership, usually followed directly by a noun — if so, use their. Third, if the word points to a place or starts a sentence about existence, use there.

Their is easy to remember because it contains the word 'heir' — someone who owns an inheritance. There is easy to remember because it contains 'here' — both words describe location.

There house is at the end of the street.(possession — → Their house is at the end of the street)
They're car broke down on the motorway.(possession — → Their car broke down)
Their is a strong argument for renewable energy.(introduces existence — → There is a strong argument)

Using 'there is/are' to introduce new information

'There is' and 'there are' are among the most useful structures in spoken and written English for introducing new information: 'There are three main reasons for this trend.' Learners sometimes replace 'there' with 'it' in this pattern, which breaks the meaning.

Once you have introduced something with 'there is/are', later sentences usually refer back to it with 'it' or 'they' — not 'there' again — which is a natural way to avoid repetition.

There are several benefits to studying abroad.(introduces new information)
It are several benefits to studying abroad.(→ There are several benefits)
There are two cafés on this street; they're both excellent.('there' introduces, 'they're' refers back)

Common mistakes with their vs there vs they're

Real learner errors, corrected and explained — the fastest way to stop repeating them.

The students forgot they're homework at home.

The students forgot their homework at home.

'Homework' belongs to the students, so the possessive their is needed, not the contraction they're.

Their going to open a new branch in Manchester.

They're going to open a new branch in Manchester.

This expands to 'they are going to open', so the contraction they're is correct.

Put the boxes over their, please.

Put the boxes over there, please.

This refers to a location, so the place word there is required, not the possessive their.

There are picking us up from the station.

They're picking us up from the station.

This expands to 'they are picking us up', so the contraction they're is needed, not there.

Their vs There vs They're in IELTS

Grammatical Range and Accuracy is 25% of your Speaking and Writing scores — here is where this structure earns marks.

Speaking

'There is/are' is one of the most natural ways to open an answer with an opinion: 'There are several reasons why I think that.' Practising it helps you avoid hesitating at the start of longer Part 3 answers.
They're flows naturally in fluent speech: 'They're currently renovating my local library' sounds far more native than the fuller, stiffer 'They are currently renovating'.

Writing

In Task 2, 'there is/are' is a reliable way to introduce a claim before supporting it: 'There is growing evidence that remote work improves productivity.' It signals a clear topic sentence.
Because their, there, and they're are pronounced identically, spellcheck often misses the wrong one — proofread Task 1 and Task 2 specifically for this trio, since it is one of the most common Band 5–6 accuracy errors.

Practise their vs there vs they're now

Five quick questions with instant feedback — every answer explained. No sign-up needed.

Question 1 of 5

___ arriving at the airport in an hour.

Want the full set? All 8 their vs there vs they're exercises →

Check this rule in your own writing

Reading a rule is step one; seeing it in your own sentences is what changes your band score.

Paste a paragraph into the free IELTS Grammar Checker — it flags every their vs there vs they're mistake, explains the rule, and estimates your Grammatical Range & Accuracy band.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between their, there, and they're?

Their shows possession ('their books'), there refers to a place or introduces existence ('over there', 'there is'), and they're is short for 'they are' ('they're busy'). All three sound identical, so choosing correctly depends on the word's job in the sentence, not its sound.

How can I remember the difference between their and there?

Their contains the word 'heir', someone who owns things, which matches its meaning of possession. There contains the word 'here', another location word, which matches its meaning of place. Spotting these smaller words inside each one is a fast memory trick.

Is it 'there is' or 'their is'?

Always there is. This structure introduces existence or new information, so it needs the place word there, never the possessive their, which must be followed by a noun showing ownership.

Why are their, there, and they're so often confused?

They are homophones — words that sound exactly the same but are spelled differently and mean different things. The confusion is purely a spelling issue, common even among native English speakers when typing quickly.

Next step

Hear this grammar scored in a real mock exam

SpeakMetry's AI examiner runs a full IELTS Speaking test and its report lists every grammar slip you made — with corrections. Your mistakes become your study plan.

Try the AI speaking exam