{"id":5152,"date":"2018-10-24T10:28:38","date_gmt":"2018-10-24T08:28:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nllanguagep-bali.savviihq.com\/blog\/uncategorized\/commonly-misspelled-words-in-the-english-language\/"},"modified":"2025-06-17T14:08:05","modified_gmt":"2025-06-17T12:08:05","slug":"commonly-misspelled-words-in-the-english-language","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/languagepartners.nl\/en\/blog\/english\/commonly-misspelled-words-in-the-english-language\/","title":{"rendered":"Commonly misspelled words in the English language"},"content":{"rendered":"

English has many genuinely confusing words in its vocabulary, but the words discussed in this post are unfortunately not part of them. The difference between these commonly confused words is relatively straightforward, yet they are commonly mixed up with one another, especially online.<\/p>\n

When do we use your<\/em> instead of you\u2019re<\/em>? Perhaps you\u2019ve found yourself doubting between than<\/em> or then<\/em>? Ever struggled with the trio of commonly confused words; their<\/em>, there<\/em> or they\u2019re<\/em>? Or perhaps dawdled over the use of its<\/em> or it\u2019s<\/em>?<\/p>\n

This post will highlight the differences between each word\u2019s meaning and offer example sentences to situate each word in a given context. Hopefully you won\u2019t find yourself mixing up these words again, thereby sparing yourself the embarrassment of having someone else spot this mistake in your work.<\/p>\n

Then vs Than<\/h2>\n

Then<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>is mainly an adverb, often used to situate actions in time (e.g. First I woke up and then I had breakfast). It also works as a noun meaning \u2018that time\u2019 (e.g. We lived in a big house back then).<\/p>\n

Than<\/em> is a conjunction used mainly in making comparisons (e.g. I was more productive today than yesterday). It\u00a0is used especially after a comparative adjective or adverb.<\/p>\n

Your vs You\u2019re<\/h2>\n

Your<\/em> is the possessive form of \u2018you\u2019 and means \u2018belongs to you\u2019. It is a second-person possessive adjective used as a modifier before a noun (e.g. What\u2019s your name?).<\/p>\n

You\u2019re<\/em> is a contraction of the words you<\/em> and are <\/em>(e.g. You\u2019re so thoughtful). The use of the apostrophe signals the omitted letter a<\/em> from are<\/em>.<\/p>\n

There vs Their vs They\u2019re<\/h2>\n

This is the trio of commonly confused words. It\u2019s confusing because they are homophones, meaning they have the same pronunciation (sound) but differ in meaning and derivation (origin).<\/p>\n

There<\/em> is an adverb which means the opposite of here, or \u2018at that place\u2019 (e.g. Let\u2019s go there for dinner tonight). There is also used as a pronoun, introducing a sentence or a clause (e.g. There is a chance of rain today).<\/p>\n

Their<\/em> is the possessive case of the pronoun \u2018they\u2019 and means \u2018belongs to them\u2019. It\u2019s generally plural (e.g. Their laughter brightens up the room) but increasingly accepted in place of his<\/em> or her<\/em> and with words such as someone<\/em> (e.g. Someone left their bag behind).<\/p>\n

They\u2019re<\/em> is a contraction of the words they<\/em> and are<\/em> (e.g. They\u2019re a fun bunch of people to spend time with). In case you draw a blank, take a hint from the apostrophe; they\u2019re<\/em> is a product of two words.<\/p>\n

Its vs It\u2019s<\/h2>\n

Its<\/em>, without an apostrophe, is the possessive of the pronoun it<\/em>. It\u2019s<\/em>, with an apostrophe, is the contraction of it is<\/em> or it has<\/em>.<\/p>\n

If you are doubting which spelling to apply, try replacing it with it is<\/em> or it has<\/em>, and if neither of these phrases works in its place, then its<\/em> is the word you\u2019re looking for (e.g. Our company changed its name; it\u2019s presently known as DutchCo).<\/p>\n

Most English speakers are comfortable with the differences between the various spellings mentioned above, however even the most careful writers might mix them up in careless moments. Such errors are known as typos, not grammar mistakes, and can usually be avoided with a quick proofread. If you often find yourself making the above mistakes, consider giving yourself extra time for editing prior to submitting your work or sending out an important email<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Would you like to continue improving your English? We can help!<\/a> Our dedicated history in language education has allowed us to develop language courses that are suited to your needs. Contact us today to learn more<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

English has many genuinely confusing words in its vocabulary, but the words discussed in this post are unfortunately not part of them. The difference between these commonly confused words is relatively straightforward, yet they are commonly mixed up with one another, especially online. When do we use your instead of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":3717,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[159],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCommonly misspelled words in the English language - Language Partners<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/languagepartners.nl\/en\/blog\/english\/commonly-misspelled-words-in-the-english-language\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Commonly misspelled words in the English language - Language Partners\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"English has many genuinely confusing words in its vocabulary, but the words discussed in this post are unfortunately not part of them. 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