they'd vs they're, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“they'd” and “they're” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#3,729
“they'd” frequency rank: #321
“they're” frequency rank: 4050
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	they'd	they're
Definition	They had.	Contraction of they + are.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set they'd and they're apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch

they'd

7 ch

they're

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. they'd (/ðeɪd/) and they're (/ðɛə/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4050, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

they'd is recorded at frequency rank #3,729, classified as acontraction, pronounced /ðeɪd/. they're is at rank #321, tagged as acontraction, pronounced /ðɛə/.

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 4050, this pair ranks #520,161 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of they'd vs they're

Shared letters: ehty. Private to "they'd": d. Private to "they're": r.

"they'd" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC · "they're" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCV

Frequency comparison

they'd#3,729

they're#321

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "they'd" and "they're" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently (/ðeɪd/ versus /ðɛə/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "they'd" or "they're"?

"they're" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #321 in our English list, against #3,729 for "they'd". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering they'd vs they're

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “they'd” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable