There or they're?
there is an adverb meaning “In or at a place or location (stated, implied or otherwise indicated) that is…”; they're is a contraction meaning “Contraction of they + are”. In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) there is about 6.9 times as common as they're.
What is the difference between there and they're?
| there | they're | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | adverb, interjection, noun, pronoun | contraction |
| Meaning | In or at a place or location (stated, implied or otherwise indicated) that is perceived to be away from, or at a relative distance from, the speaker (compare… At that point, stage, etc., visualised as a distinct place Used to offer encouragement or sympathy; see also there, there and there now | Contraction of they + are |
| Example | I know Bristol quite well as I used to live there | none recorded |
| Pronunciation | /ðə(ɹ)/ /ðɛə(ɹ)/ /ðɛː(ɹ)/ | /ðɛə/ /ðɛː/ /ðeɪə/ |
| In writing | 2,042 times per million words | 295 times per million words |
Sources: there and they're in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of there and they're
there
- 1
In or at a place or location (stated, implied or otherwise indicated) that is perceived to be away from, or at a relative distance from, the speaker (compare here)
I know Bristol quite well as I used to live there
- 2
Used to offer encouragement or sympathy; see also there, there and there now
There, there. Everything is going to turn out all right
- 3
That place (previously mentioned or otherwise implied)
We need someone to take us from here to there
- 4
Used as an expletive subject of be in its sense of “exist”, with the semantic, usually indefinite subject being postponed or (occasionally) implied
There are two apples on the table. [=Two apples are on the table.]
- 5
At that point, stage, etc., visualised as a distinct place
He did not stop there, but continued his speech
- 6
Used to express victory or completion
There! That knot should hold
- 7
That situation; that position
You rinse and de-string the green beans; I'll take it from there
- 8
Used with other intransitive verbs of existence, in the same sense, or with other intransitive verbs, adding a sense of existence
If x is a positive number, then there exists [=there is] a positive number y less than x
they're
- 1
Contraction of they + are
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, there or they're?
there appears 2,042 times per million words; they're 295 times per million words.
there 2,042 times per million wordsthey're 295 times per million words
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How many people search there vs they're?
“there vs they're” is searched about 10 times a month on Bing (Google reports it together with close variants, so it has no figure of its own) in the United States.
Sources: Google Ads keyword data through DataForSEO and Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, the average month from September 2025 to August 2026.