There, Their, and They're
Your and You're
Its and It's

Three of the most common mistakes writers make are confusing there, their, and they'reyour and you're; and its and it's.


There, Their and They're

There is an adverb specifying place or location.
Example: The books are over there on the table.

Their is a possessive pronoun (plural) signifying something belongs to more than one person.
Example: Mark and Eric washed their cars in the driveway.

They're is a contraction of they are.
Example: They're going swimming today.

Choosing between there, their and they're:

  • Talking about a location?  Use there.
  • Talking about something that belongs to two or more people?  Use their.
  • Will the sentence make sense if you use "they are"?  Use they're.

Your and You're

Your is a possessive pronoun signifying something belongs to "you."
Example: That's your cat in the tree.

You're is a contraction of you are.
Example: You're going straight to school today!

Choosing between your and you're:

  • Talking about something that belongs to someone?  Use your.
  • Will the sentence make sense if you use "you are"?  Use you're.

Its and it's

Its is a possessive pronoun signifying something belongs to "it." There is no apostrophe between the t and s.
Example: The book has a tiger on its cover.

It's is a contraction of it is.
Example: It's sunny out today.

Choosing between its and it's:

  • Talking about something that belongs to someone?  Use its.

Will the sentence make sense if you use "it is"?  Use it's.