Commonly Confused

There, They're, Their

There, there. We'll sort it out.


play there theyre their video
102,201 views
Featuring: Emily Brewster

TRANSCRIPT


Welcome to ask the editor. I'm Emily Brewster, an associate editor at Merriam Webster.
 
Homophones are words that have the same pronunciation, but have different meanings and spellings. There are three in particular that are very tricky, in part because of their usefulness, which means that they're used in writing here and there.
 
And let's start there.
 
That one has the word here in it, which is helpful. It can remind us that this particular there is often about location.
- There it is.
- Put it there.
- Stay there.
 
It's about location in the most abstract sense, too.
- There you go.
- There is where we disagree.
 
It's also the one to use as the first word in sentences that have the subject after the verb.
- There used to be a pen here somewhere.
 
And it's the one with the verb be at the beginning of sentences and questions.
- Is there a pen here somewhere?
 
The other two are trickier because they both have the idea of the plural in them. They're both connected to the idea of them.
 
They're means they are.
- They are funny people. They're funny people.
 
It can be used with non-living things, too.
- They are both good books. They're both good books.
 
The last of this trio, their, is the possessive form of they. So it has to do with what belongs to, relates to, or is made or done by certain people, animals, or things.
- It's their house.
- The trees are losing their leaves.
 
And there you go. They're not an easy group of words, but with practice, we know that you can master their distinctions.
 
There are many more Ask the Editor videos at merriam-webster.com.

Up Next

Autoplay
play there theyre their video
There, They're, Their

 

102,201 views

play merriam-webster eggcorns title page
What Is an Eggcorn?

 

26,475 views

play hot mess
Hot Mess

 

155,389 views

play mrs malaprop
What is a Malaprop?

 

137,005 views

play alright allright video
Alright vs. All Right

 

135,890 views

play sneaked vs snuck video
Sneaked vs. Snuck

 

55,886 views

play further vs farther video
Further vs. Farther

 

47,698 views

play video lay vs lie
Lay vs. Lie

 

349,967 views

play fun funner funnest
Fun, Funner, Funnest

 

259,615 views

play video old school grammar humorsome
Old-School Grammar

 

242,037 views

play video schwa
The Schwa

 

161,290 views

play video ie vs eg
i.e. vs. e.g.

 

172,736 views

play video its vs its
Its vs. It's

 

77,215 views

play video healthy vs healthful
Healthy vs. Healthful

 

107,727 views

play video between you and i or me
I vs. Me

 

69,949 views

play video literally
Literally

 

447,420 views

play video hopefully
Hopefully

 

96,659 views

play video who vs whom
Who vs. Whom

 

83,219 views

play video affect vs effect
Affect vs. Effect

 

124,374 views