There, their and they’re

There: a place, or something exists

“Leave your bag over there.” Here, there tells us where. You can spot here inside there as a reminder, but that is not its only use.

In “There is a spider in the bath”, there introduces something that exists. It is still there, even though you are not saying “over there”. Use the same spelling in “There are two spiders”.

Their: belonging to them

“The children put on their coats.” Whose coats? The children’s. Their goes before the thing that belongs to them: their coats, their classroom, their idea. It does not need an apostrophe.

They’re: they are

“They’re waiting by the gate” means “They are waiting by the gate”. The apostrophe marks the missing letter when the two words are joined. This shortened form is called a contraction.

Read the whole sentence first, including the words after the gap. Then try these checks:

1. Could you say they are and keep the meaning? If so, use they’re.
2. Is it about something belonging to them? Use their.
3. Is it pointing to a place, or saying something exists? Use there.

Try “The pupils left ___ books on the table”. “They are books” does not make sense in that sentence. The books belong to the pupils, so the answer is their. Ask your child to explain the choice before writing it.

Sounding out is useful for lots of spellings, but it cannot settle this choice: all three sound alike. Repeating “listen carefully” will not provide the missing clue. Talk about the meaning instead.

Choose there, their or they’re for each gap. Say the answer or write it on paper, then open the explanation. Remember a capital letter at the start of a sentence.

1. The twins hung ___ coats by the door.

   Show answer 1

   their: The coats belong to the twins. Their tells us whose coats they are.

2. Put your reading book over ___.

   Show answer 2

   there: This tells us where to put the book. There refers to a place.

3. ___ making a model of the moon.

   Show answer 3

   They’re: They are making a model of the moon. The two-word version fits, so use they’re, with a capital T at the start of the sentence.

4. ___ are three pencils under the chair.

   Show answer 4

   There: We are saying that three pencils are under the chair. Use there are, with a capital T at the start.

5. I think ___ ready for lunch.

   Show answer 5

   they’re: I think they are ready for lunch. Expand they’re to they are to check.

6. The rabbits twitched ___ noses.

   Show answer 6

   their: The noses belong to the rabbits. Their can refer to animals as well as people.

No score to send anywhere. Use a wrong answer to find out which meaning needs another look.

Look at one sentence together. “You’ve used their here. Whose thing is it?” is a more useful prompt than “You know this one”. If the child meant “they are”, ask them to say those two words before writing the contraction.

Once the answer makes sense, cover it and try a different sentence. Another day, look for one of the three words in a reading book or in your child’s own writing. That checks the choice away from a familiar row of gaps.

Keep the correction focused. You do not need to mark every spelling in the paragraph while working on this one. Our guide to responding to spelling mistakes has more examples for adults.

Show one sentence and ask pupils to write their choice on a mini-whiteboard. Before revealing the answer, ask someone to explain it. A correct spelling with a guessed explanation tells you something different from a correct spelling with a clear reason.

Follow with a new sentence dictated in full. Saying only “there” cannot tell a pupil which of the three words you mean. The spelling dictation guide explains how to give enough context.

In England, the Year 2 programme includes common homophones and contracted forms; work on homophones continues in key stage 2. Schools choose their teaching sequence. These are our practice suggestions, not a statutory worksheet or a fixed age target. Other UK nations have their own curricula.

The six sentences above are free to use here, with no account needed. Spellito also has free ten-word spelling practice using its built-in year-group words. That is not a dedicated there, their and they’re quiz.

If you want to save school lists and follow your children’s practice, Family Pass costs £9 per family for 12 months, for up to five children. No automatic renewal. You can see what Family Pass includes before deciding. The activity on this page does not require it.