“There” points to a place or a situation, while “their” shows ownership by more than one person.
Mixing up there and their is one of those tiny spelling slips that can make a sentence feel off. The good news: the fix is simple once you train your eye to spot what the word is doing in the sentence.
This article gives you clear meanings, fast checks you can run while writing, and practice that sticks. By the end, you’ll be able to choose the right word without second-guessing.
There Means Place Or “Exists”
There is mainly an adverb that points to a place: “Put the book over there.” It can also act like a starter word that signals something exists or is happening: “There is a problem,” “There are three options,” “There’s a chance of rain.”
When you see there, ask one of these: “Where?” or “Does this sentence mean ‘exists’?” If either question fits, there is the word you want.
There As A Location Word
Location there answers “where” directly. You can often swap in “in that place” and keep the meaning.
- “Your phone is there.” → “Your phone is in that place.”
- “We met there last summer.” → “We met in that place last summer.”
There In “There Is/There Are” Sentences
In sentences like “There is” and “There are,” the word isn’t pointing to a map location. It’s introducing a statement that something exists.
- “There are two doors.”
- “There is a reason I wrote it down.”
- “Is there any coffee left?”
A quick edit check: move the phrase to the end. “Two doors are there” can sound odd, yet it still shows that there is not marking ownership.
Their Shows Ownership
Their is a possessive determiner. It comes right before a noun to show that something belongs to “them” (two or more people, animals, or things).
If you can swap the word with “our” or “my” and the sentence still makes sense, you need their.
Their Before A Noun
Ownership their is usually followed by a thing that can be owned, held, or connected to a group.
- “They forgot their tickets.”
- “The students finished their projects.”
- “The dogs wagged their tails.”
Their With Group Nouns
You’ll also see their with group nouns and organizations when you’re treating the group as plural.
- “The teams packed their gear.”
- “The staff shared their notes.”
Style guides differ on whether a collective noun takes a singular or plural pronoun. If you write for a class or a publication, match the style they use.
What Is the Difference Between There and Their? In One Mental Check
When you’re stuck, do a 5-second test:
- Check the word after it. If a noun follows right away, try “my.” If “my” fits, pick their.
- If the sentence is pointing to a place, or it starts with “There is/There are,” pick there.
This test works because the two words play different jobs: one points, one owns.
Spot The Mix-Up Patterns In Real Writing
Most mistakes happen in the same few patterns. If you learn them, you’ll catch the slip as you type.
Pattern 1: “Over There” Vs “Their”
Writers sometimes type their after a preposition like “over” or “down.” A preposition plus a location idea is a strong clue for there.
- Wrong: “Put it over their.”
- Right: “Put it over there.”
Pattern 2: Ownership In Front Of A Thing
If the next word is a thing you can possess, their is the safe bet.
- Wrong: “They lost there homework.”
- Right: “They lost their homework.”
Pattern 3: “There’s” Contractions
“There’s” means “there is.” It can’t show ownership. If you mean “belongs to them,” you need their, not a contraction.
- Right: “There’s a new rule.”
- Right: “It’s their rule.”
Dictionary entries can help you see these roles laid out cleanly. Merriam-Webster’s pages for “there” and “their” list the parts of speech and sample uses.
Don’t Let “They’re” Sneak Into The Same Mistake
You asked about there and their, yet the third look-alike, they’re, is often the reason people freeze mid-sentence. When your brain is juggling three spellings that sound alike, it’s easy to tap the wrong one.
Here’s the clean split:
- there = place or “exists”
- their = ownership
- they’re = “they are”
A quick check for they’re: expand it to “they are.” If the sentence still reads well, they’re is right. If the next word is a noun like “books,” “plans,” or “shoes,” you’re back in their territory. If the word is pointing to a spot or setting up “There is/There are,” stick with there.
This three-way check takes a few tries, then it turns into muscle memory. You stop guessing and start choosing.
Quick Mnemonics That Don’t Feel Corny
Mnemonics work when they point to spelling cues you can see.
Use The “Heir” Clue For Their
Their contains “heir.” An heir receives property. So when you see heir inside the word, think “belongs to them.”
Use The “Here/There” Pair
There sits next to here in meaning. Both point to place. If you can replace the word with “here” and the sentence still makes sense, you probably want there.
Use The “T-H-E” Starter For Existential There
Many “There is/There are” sentences start a statement with there before the real subject shows up. If you see a form of “to be” right after the word, it’s often this pattern: “There is,” “There are,” “There was,” “There were.”
Table Of Uses, Signals, And Clean Examples
This table compresses the cues into quick checks you can scan while editing.
| Word | When It Fits | Example You Can Copy |
|---|---|---|
| there | Points to a place | Leave the bag there by the door. |
| there | Means “exists” (There is/are) | There are three seats left. |
| there | Paired with prepositions (over, down, up) | Walk over there and wait. |
| their | Shows ownership before a noun | Their notes are on the desk. |
| their | Works with “my/our” swap test | They forgot their coats. |
| their | Refers to a group as plural | The teams loaded their buses. |
| their | Used for people of unknown gender (singular they) | Someone left their umbrella. |
| there | Used to set up a clause | There’s a page that explains it. |
Singular “They” And Their
You may hear that their must refer to more than one person. In modern English, their is also used with singular “they” when a person’s gender is unknown or when a person uses “they” as a pronoun.
In that case, their still means ownership. The number is about the grammar pattern, not the number of people.
- “If anyone calls, tell them I’ll return their message.”
- “A student should bring their ID.”
Edit Like A Pro: A Two-Pass Fix
If you keep missing this mix-up, use a two-pass edit. It’s fast, and it works even when you’re tired.
Pass 1: Hunt For The Spelling Pattern
Use your browser’s find box (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) and search for there and their. Treat each hit like a checkpoint.
- If the word is followed by a noun, run the “my” swap test.
- If the word sits near “is/are/was/were,” see if the sentence means “exists.”
- If a preposition sits right before it, ask “where?”
Pass 2: Read Aloud For Flow
Read the sentence aloud. A wrong choice often sounds wrong, even when your eyes skim past it. Listening slows you down just enough to catch the slip.
Practice Sentences With Answers
Try these without peeking. Then check the answers. Doing this once is useful; doing it twice makes the choice automatic.
| Sentence With A Blank | Correct Word | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|
| Put your shoes over ___. | there | It points to a place (“where?”). |
| The players grabbed ___ water bottles. | their | Ownership before a noun. |
| ___ are four chapters in this unit. | there | Means “exists” (There are). |
| Someone left ___ phone on the table. | their | Singular “they” ownership. |
| We’ll meet ___ after class. | there | Location word. |
| The twins finished ___ homework early. | their | “My” swap test fits: “my homework.” |
| Is ___ any time left? | there | Existence: “Is there…?” |
Extra Checks For Formal Writing
In essays, application letters, and reports, small grammar errors can distract a reader. These checks help you polish the final draft.
Watch For Autocorrect Swaps
Autocorrect can replace a correctly typed word with the wrong homophone. A final search for each word is safer than trusting the first pass.
Keep Pronoun References Clear
When you use their, make sure “they” clearly refers to a specific group. If the reader has to guess who owns the thing, rewrite the sentence or name the group again.
Use Simple Sentence Shapes
If you keep tripping over pronouns, try short sentence shapes: subject → verb → object. Once the sentence is clean, you can add detail.
A One-Minute Checklist You Can Save
Before you hit publish or submit your assignment, run this quick list:
- There: Can you ask “where?” or replace it with “in that place”?
- There: Does the sentence mean “exists” (There is/are)?
- Their: Is a noun right after it, and can you swap in “my/our”?
- Their: Does “they” point to a clear group, or do you need to name the group?
Once you run these checks a few times, the right choice starts to feel automatic.
A 7-Day Practice Plan That Sticks
If you want this to stay fixed, give it a week of light practice. It’s not homework-heavy. It’s tiny reps that build a habit.
Day 1 And Day 2: One-Minute Scans
Open a short piece of your own writing, run a find for there, then a find for their. Do the “where/exists” check for there and the “my/our” swap for their. Stop after one minute.
Day 3 And Day 4: Rewrite Two Sentences
Pick two sentences that use one of the words. Rewrite each sentence in a new way while keeping the meaning. This forces you to rebuild the grammar, not copy it.
Day 5: Add One Sentence With “There Are”
Write one sentence that starts with “There are…” and make the real subject a noun you care about: “There are three goals for this week.” Seeing the pattern on purpose helps you spot it later.
Day 6: Write One Ownership Sentence
Write one sentence with their right before a concrete noun: “Their schedule changed.” If you can swap in “my,” you did it right.
Day 7: Do The Practice Table Again
Return to the practice table above and fill the blanks without checking the answer column. If you miss one, rewrite that sentence correctly twice. That’s it.