Which word is correct, thier or their? Are they both correct or are they different words? Actually, their is the only correct spelling. Read on to learn the correct usage of the word for effective communication, as well as clever tricks to help you remember the right word to use.
Related:
- Beck and Call or Beckon Call: Which Spelling Is Correct?
- Grammar or Grammer: Which Spelling Should You Use?
- Preferably or Preferrably: Which Spelling Is Correct?
What Is Their?
Technically, “their” is a pronoun, and it’s specifically a possessive pronoun showing ownership, possession, or a close relationship. Because it’s used as a possessive, “their” functions grammatically as an adjective. You should only find “their” immediately before the word it modifies when using this spelling and meaning correctly.
You should not confuse “their” with “there” or “they’re” because they have different spellings and functions, although they have similar pronunciations. “There” is an adverb that indicates location or introduces a declarative statement. On the other hand, “they’re” is a contraction for “they are.”
Examples of correct usage of “their” in a sentence:
- In someone else’s home, you have to respect their rules.
- Some students forgot to bring their books to the discussion.
- Their daring feats became the stuff of legend.
- Most teachers care deeply about the success and well-being of their students.
- Everyone will need their flashlights for the hike tomorrow evening.
- One of their biggest problems is the incorrect usage of electrical wiring.
- Their new house looks amazing!
- The kids gave their parents a hard time.
How Do You Use Their?
Their is the possessive case of the plural they and always goes before a noun.
Sometimes, the word shows actual possession of something. For instance, the students forgot their books. Other times, the word attributes something to others, like in the example: In someone else’s home, you have to respect their rules.
Something you see in both speech and text is the use of their when gender isn’t specific. More and more often, this also occurs for collective nouns and pronouns that are singular in form.
Let’s go back to students and their books. If the class is a coed one, then the following sentence is technically correct:
- Everyone in the class will need his or her book tomorrow.
The collective everyone is singular. Since there are boys and girls, we have to acknowledge both genders.
For a long time, it was standard to write that this way:
- Everyone in the class will need his book tomorrow.
Over time, people wanted language to be more inclusive. And so, even though it’s not technically correct, the following is increasingly common:
- Everyone in the class will need their book tomorrow.
How Do You Spell Their?
The only correct spelling is “their.” “Thier” is a common misspelling. So, writing “Thier house” or “thier dog” are both wrong. One possible reason for the spelling confusion is the “i before e” rule.
Tricks to Remembering the Correct Spelling
If you are struggling to remember that “their” is spelled with “ei” in the middle, here are some tips that might help:
- Think of other words that are exceptions to the “i before e rule,” like the word heir or weigh.
- Their is a derivative of they, and both begin with the-.
- Create a mnemonic device with a rhyming word that has a similar spelling. For example– “The billionaires announced their heir.”
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, you now have a clear understanding of whether to use thier or their. Only “their” is correct, and it’s a possessive pronoun that indicates ownership or shows possession. If you have trouble remembering the correct spelling, use one or more of our tips to help!
