A quick focus on there, their and they’re

There, their and they’re… words that are spelt differently, have different meanings and yet… they sound identical. How confusing! So how do you remember which spelling is which? Well, if you find it difficult to remember, you’re in good company. Many English native-speakers find it hard to remember the difference too!

So here’s a quick guide to help you through:

There

There and here go together – there is the opposite of here.  For example:

Here is a dog (near me), there is a cat (not near me).

So you see, there is only one letter different, and both words refer to where something is!

Their

‘Heir’ in English means someone who is going to be given something such as an important title, money or possessions when a family member dies. So if you remember the meaning of heir, you can just put a ‘t’ at the beginning and remember that it’s related to possession(s): He is his grandparents' heir – he will get their house, their dog and their cats…

They’re

The apostrophe in this word (and many, many others) shows that there is a letter missing.

So… in the word they’re – what is missing? It is the letter ‘a’. The full two words = they are.

So, they’re cannot mean position (there) or possession (their), because it’s short for they are.

Another tip for learning which is which – don’t try to learn them all together. Concentrate on one at a time, writing sentences using just one of these words, until you’re really sure you know it. Then move on to the next one.

Do you have any tips or tricks for learning similar or confusing words? If so, let me know!