Which to use
“theirs” is a pronoun and “theres” is a contraction - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,623
- “theirs” frequency rank
- #8,365
- “theres” frequency rank
- 15988
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | theirs | theres |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | That or those belonging to them; the possessive case of they, used without a following noun. | There is; there's. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set theirs and theres apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: theirs is apronoun and theresacontraction. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15988, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
theirs is recorded at frequency rank #7,623, classified as apron, pronounced /ðɛəz/. theres is at rank #8,365, tagged as acontraction.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 15988, this pair ranks #460,591 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of theirs vs theres
Shared letters: ehrst. Private to "theirs": i. Private to "theres": -.
"theirs" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCC · "theres" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "theirs" and "theres" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "theirs" or "theres"?
Remembering theirs vs theres
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a pronoun, it's “theirs”; for a contraction, it's “theres”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “theirs” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable