Which to use
“these” is a determiner and “they” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #94
- “these” frequency rank
- #35
- “they” frequency rank
- 129
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | these | they |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of this | A group of entities previously mentioned. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set these and they apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: these is /ðiːz/ while they is /ˈðeɪ̯/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (determiner vs pronoun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 129, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
these is recorded at frequency rank #94, classified as adet, pronounced /ðiːz/. they is at rank #35, tagged as apron, pronounced /ˈðeɪ̯/.
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 129, this pair ranks #529,837 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of these vs they
Shared letters: eht. Private to "these": s. Private to "they": y.
"these" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "they" · 4 letters · shape CCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "these" and "they" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "these" or "they"?
Remembering these vs they
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a determiner, it's “these”; for a pronoun, it's “they”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “these” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable