there

/ðə(ɹ)/

//ðə(ɹ)// adv

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"there" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“there” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #57. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#57
frequency rank, English
27,828
“T” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - 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).

Corpus desk

Index EN-there · there · English

there · rank #57 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #57
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 27,828
  • PHOTO-FINISH their

Nearest frequency peer: their (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “there”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “there” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

there vs tre
60% similar
there vs they
60% similar
there vs tree
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for there
PropertyValue
Headwordthere
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ðə(ɹ)/
Letters5
Frequency rank#57
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “there” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). there lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around there (IPA /ðə(ɹ)/), anadverb. Corpus frequency is #57 among 27,828 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 13 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for there, with forms such as "htere", "tehre", and "theer". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "tre", "they", "tree", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English there, ther, thare, thar, thore, from Old English þēr, þǣr, þār (“there; at that place”), from Proto-West Germanic *þār, from Proto-Germanic *þar (“at that place; there”), from Proto-Indo-European *tó-r (“there”), from demonstrative pron… The correct English form is there, spelled T-H-E-R-E.

Definition

  1. 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).
  2. 2
    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).
  3. 3
    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).
  4. 4
    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).
  5. 5
    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).
  6. 6
    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).
  7. 7
    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).
  8. 8
    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).
  9. 9
    To or into a place or location; thither.
  10. 10
    To or into a place or location; thither.
  11. 11
    In that matter, relation, etc..
  12. 12
    Where, there where, in which place.
  13. 13
    In this world: used to say that someone or something exists; see also pronoun section below.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how there appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. I know Bristol quite well as I used to live there.
  2. I looked in the cupboard and my keys were there!

Etymology

From Middle English there, ther, thare, thar, thore, from Old English þēr, þǣr, þār (“there; at that place”), from Proto-West Germanic *þār, from Proto-Germanic *þar (“at that place; there”), from Proto-Indo-European *tó-r (“there”), from demonstrative pronominal base *to- (“the, that”) + adverbial suffix *-r. Cognate with Scots thar, thair (“there”), North Frisian dear, deer, där (“there”), Saterland Frisian deer (“there”), West Frisian dêr (“there”), Dutch daar (“there”), Low German dar (“there”), German da, dar- (“there”), Danish der (“there”), Norwegian der (“there”), Swedish där (“there”), Icelandic þar (“in that place, there”).

Synonyms

over thereaway thereyonderover thereaway therethitheryonder

This word in other languages

ahí(Español)là(Français)dort(Deutsch)aí(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • htere
  • tehre
  • theer
  • therre
  • thhere
  • tthere

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of there - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

htere2tehre2theer2therre1thhere1tthere1
Edit distance from "there"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "there"?
"there" is spelled T-H-E-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ðə(ɹ)/.
What does "there" mean?
As an adverb, "there" means: 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).
What words are commonly confused with "there"?
"there" is commonly confused with "tre", "they", "tree". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "there"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "there" is /ðə(ɹ)/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "there"?
From Middle English there, ther, thare, thar, thore, from Old English þēr, þǣr, þār (“there; at that place”), from Proto-West Germanic *þār, from Proto-Germanic *þar (“at that place; there”), from Proto-Indo-European *tó-r (“there”), from demonstr... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "there", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

their#56which#59would#63don't#68

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

when6 variantswhat6 variantsabout6 variantsthem6 variants
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list