Their or There: The Simple Way to Get Them Right

Their and there sound the same, but they do not mean the same thing. This is why even confident English writers sometimes mix them up in emails, messages, schoolwork, and everyday writing.

The easiest way to remember the difference is to connect each word with its job. Their shows possession or belonging, while there usually points to a place or tells us that something exists. There is also a third word, they’re, which sounds the same but means they are.

Once you know what each word is doing in a sentence, the confusion becomes much easier to avoid.

Quick Answer

Their shows possession or belonging.

Their house is beautiful.

There refers to a place, position, or existence.

The house is over there.

They’re is a contraction of they are.

They’re at home.

Word	Function	Example
Their	Shows possession	Their dog is friendly.
There	Shows place or existence	The dog is over there.
They’re	Means “they are”	They’re at home.

A useful memory trick is:

Their = belonging

There = place or existence

They’re = they are

What Does Their Mean?

Their is a possessive determiner. It shows that something belongs to, is connected with, or is associated with someone or something referred to by they.

For example:

Their car is parked outside.

The car belongs to them.

You can use their before a noun:

Their house
Their family
Their children
Their business
Their idea
Their decision
Their work
Their opinion

Their in Everyday Sentences

The students finished their project.

We visited their new office.

The company changed their policy.

In each sentence, their shows a relationship of possession or association.

What Does There Mean?

There has several uses, but two are especially common.

There for a Place

It can point to a particular location or position.

Put the books over there.

I left my phone there.

She is standing there.

Here, there refers to a place.

There for Existence

There is also used to introduce something that exists or happens.

There is a problem.

There are three people outside.

There was a mistake in the report.

In these sentences, there does not mean a physical place. It helps introduce the existence of something.

Their vs There: What’s the Difference?

The simplest difference is possession vs place or existence.

Compare:

Their house is near the school.

Their tells us whose house it is.

Their house is over there.

There tells us where the house is.

Both words can appear in the same sentence because they perform different jobs.

Another example:

Their children are playing over there.

Their = belonging to them

There = a location

This is one of the easiest ways to understand the difference.

Don’t Forget They’re

When people confuse their and there, they often forget about they’re.

They’re is simply the contraction of they are.

They’re ready.

means:

They are ready.

Try replacing they’re with they are. If the sentence still makes sense, they’re is probably correct.

Compare the Three

Their house is large.

They own or are associated with the house.

The house is over there.

It points to a location.

They’re inside the house.

It means they are inside.

A single sentence can use all three:

They’re taking their bags over there.

This is a great sentence to remember the difference.

Their vs There Examples

Example 1

❌ There car is new.

✅ Their car is new.

The car belongs to them, so use their.

Example 2

❌ Their is a problem.

✅ There is a problem.

This sentence describes the existence of a problem, so use there.

Example 3

❌ Put your shoes over their.

✅ Put your shoes over there.

The word refers to a place.

Example 4

❌ There going to the store.

✅ They’re going to the store.

The meaning is they are going, so they’re is correct.

Example 5

Their friends are waiting over there.

Both words are correct because they have different functions.

Their vs There in Real Life

These words appear constantly in everyday communication.

Imagine you’re sending a message to a friend:

“They’re waiting for us at their house over there.”

It contains all three forms:

They’re = they are
Their = possession
There = location

In a workplace, you might write:

“Their team submitted the report, and it is available over there.”

In school:

“The students put their books there.”

The grammar is simple once you identify the job each word performs.

Common Mistakes With Their and There

“There House” vs “Their House”

❌ There house is beautiful.

✅ Their house is beautiful.

A house cannot “be” a place word. Their is needed because the sentence shows possession.

“Their Is” vs “There Is”

❌ Their is a new restaurant nearby.

✅ There is a new restaurant nearby.

The phrase there is introduces something that exists.

“Their Going” vs “They’re Going”

❌ Their going to the meeting.

✅ They’re going to the meeting.

Here, the meaning is they are going, so use they’re.

“Over Their” vs “Over There”

❌ The store is over their.

✅ The store is over there.

The word refers to location.

A Quick Trick to Remember Their vs There

When you are unsure, ask yourself what the sentence means.

Does It Show Possession?

Use their.

Their dog is sleeping.

Ask: Whose dog?
Their dog.

Does It Show a Place or Existence?

Use there.

The dog is over there.

Ask: Where?
There.

Or:

There is a dog outside.

Ask: What exists?
A dog.

Does It Mean “They Are”?

Use they’re.

They’re sleeping.

Replace it:

They are sleeping.

It works, so they’re is correct.

Their vs There vs They’re

Word	Meaning	Easy Test
Their	Belonging to them	Ask “whose?”
There	Place or existence	Ask “where?” or “what exists?”
They’re	They are	Replace with “they are”

This three-word test solves most everyday mistakes.

Why Do Their, There, and They’re Cause Confusion?

These words are commonly confused because they are homophones in standard varieties of English. That means they generally have the same pronunciation but different spellings and meanings.

Their spelling, however, gives you a useful clue.

Their is connected with they and possession.

There contains here, which can help you remember that it can refer to a place.

They’re contains an apostrophe because it is a contraction of they are.

These little connections are not perfect grammar rules, but they can make the words easier to remember.

Their vs There: Final Verdict

The difference between their and there is actually quite simple once you focus on meaning.

Use their when you are talking about possession or something belonging to people:

Their house is new.

Use there for a place, position, or existence:

The house is over there.
There is a new house nearby.

And remember they’re when you mean they are:

They’re inside.

The best shortcut is:

Their = whose?

There = where?

They’re = they are

Keep those three questions in mind, and you will avoid one of the most common English word-choice mistakes.

FAQs

What is the difference between their and there?

Their shows possession or belonging, while there usually refers to a place, position, or the existence of something.

Is their a pronoun?

Their is generally used as a possessive determiner. It comes before a noun, as in “their house.”

What does there mean in “there is”?

In there is and there are, there introduces the existence or presence of something rather than pointing to a particular location.

What is they’re short for?

They’re is a contraction of they are.

They’re happy = They are happy.

How can I remember their vs there?

Think their = belonging and there = place or existence. For they’re, remember that it means they are.

Is “their house” correct?

Yes. Their house is correct when you mean a house belonging to or associated with them.

Is “there house” correct?

No, when you mean possession. The correct phrase is their house.

Is “there is” correct?

Yes. There is is used to introduce the existence or presence of a singular noun.