orchidcup says:

Tips

Try imagining this scene:

You see your neighbors standing outside their house, picking up garbage that they accidentally spilled on the ground.

You point at them and say to your friend: “Look over there [location], they’re [they are] picking up their garbage [possession].”

Spell out your contractions. Replace can’t with cannot, you’re with you are, and they’re with they are.

This way, you will catch yourself if you make a mistake in writing.

The students misplaced they’re books = The students misplaced they are books.
Here, the second sentence makes no sense; hence, it is improper usage.

Another hint: “there” has “here” buried inside it to remind you it refers to place, while “their” has “heir” buried in it to remind you that it has to do with possession.

Remember there, their, and they’re by the following rules:

there: the word “here” is in there so refer to there as a word for location.

their: the word “he” is in their so refer to their as a word for people.

they’re: there is an [ ‘ ] in they’re so they’re is like “they are”. Instead of saying they’re, say “they are” to see if it makes sense.

If you have “there is” or “there are” then it’s always “there” — you’d never say “they’re is” or “they’re are” or “their is” or “their are”.

If you’re unsure if you’re using “their” correctly, try replacing it with “my” —the sentence should work with the substitution.

For example: Their house is purple. If you replace “their” with “my” the sentence still makes sense: My house is purple. So, you know you’re using “their” correctly.

Turn off the auto-correct feature in your word processor. People tend to get lazy and forget special rules when the computer automatically corrects mistakes like the ones listed above.

If you’ve ruled out “they’re” or “their” as the correct form, then “there” is one you should go with!

Learning to spell correctly can help you succeed in school, get a good job, and not be an annoyance to people that have taken the time and effort to learn how to spell.