their vs they're vs there
Their vs They're vs There (Plus Its vs It's): Rules That Stick
These are the most common mistakes in English texting, and they share one trait: every wrong version is a correctly spelled word, so spellcheck waves them all through. The rules are genuinely simple - what you need is a fast test you can run mid-sentence. Here it is for each pair.
Their, they're, there
Three words, three jobs. "Their" means belonging to them. "They're" is literally "they are" squeezed together. "There" is a place, or the there in "there is". The 2-second test: try saying "they are" in the spot. If the sentence still works, it's "they're". If not - possession is "their", everything else is "there".
| Sentence | Test | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| "___ going to be late" | "they are going" works | they're |
| "I like ___ new place" | "they are new place" fails; it's possession | their |
| "put it over ___" | "they are" fails; it's a place | there |
| "___ dog ate my sandwich" | possession | their |
Its vs it's
Same trick, same trap. "It's" is always "it is" or "it has" - nothing else, ever. "Its" is possession. The confusion comes from possession usually taking an apostrophe ("Sam's dog") - but "its" follows the his/hers pattern instead: his, hers, its, no apostrophe. Test: say "it is". Works? Apostrophe. Doesn't? No apostrophe.
| Sentence | Test | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| "___ raining again" | "it is raining" works | it's |
| "the phone lost ___ charge" | "it is charge" fails; possession | its |
| "___ been a long week" | "it has been" works | it's |
Your vs you're
The same pattern one more time. "You're" is "you are". "Your" is possession. "Your welcome" - the most-sent version of this mistake - fails the test instantly: "you are welcome" is what's meant, so it's "you're welcome". If the your/you're mistakes sting the most, it's because they cluster in short, high-visibility messages: "your right", "your the best", "your welcome".
Why spellcheck will never catch these
Spellcheck asks one question per word: is this in the dictionary? "Their", "they're", and "there" all pass, every time, no matter which one the sentence needed. Catching the wrong one requires reading the sentence around the word - which is grammar checking, a different job. That's why these mistakes survive decades of autocorrect: the tool that runs by default was never built to see them.
Or stop running the tests entirely
The tests work, but running them on every message is its own tax. Checker reads the whole sentence, so their/they're/there, its/it's, and your/you're get caught and fixed in one tap - along with everything else in the message. Learn the rules for the writing that matters; let the keyboard handle the everyday volume.
Frequently asked questions
What's the fastest way to remember their vs they're vs there?
Say "they are" in the spot. Works: they're. Possession: their. Everything else: there.
Why doesn't autocorrect fix "your welcome"?
Both words are spelled correctly, and autocorrect only checks spelling. Only a sentence-level grammar check can tell "your" was the wrong choice.
Is "its'" ever correct?
No. "Its'" is not a word in English - the only options are "its" (possession) and "it's" (it is / it has).
Can Checker fix these mistakes automatically?
Yes - select the text, run Standard Check, and homophone mistakes get fixed along with the rest of the sentence.