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” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #57 in English word frequency and used as an adverb.

#57
frequency rank, English
5
letters
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).

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.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for there is 5 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ðə(ɹ)/. Corpus data places it at rank #57 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 13 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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.

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.

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.

Using “there”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is T-H-E-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ðə(ɹ)/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “tre” - see the side-by-side comparison. there vs tre
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list