Their or Thier: Which Spelling Is Correct?

The correct spelling is their.

Thier is a misspelling.

Use their when you are talking about something that belongs to people, animals, groups, or things already mentioned.

Examples:

• The students brought their books.
• The dogs wagged their tails.
• My neighbors painted their house.
• The company changed their policy.

The word thier is not a standard English word. It may look possible because of the common “i before e” spelling pattern, but in this case, the correct order is e before i: their.

Quick Answer

Use their.

Do not use thier.

Correct:

• They forgot their keys.

Incorrect:

• They forgot thier keys.

The spelling can be tricky because their does not sound exactly the way it looks. It sounds like there and they’re, which creates even more confusion. But when you mean “belonging to them,” the correct spelling is always their.

What Does Their Mean?

Their is a possessive word. It shows that something belongs to “them.”

For example:

• The children cleaned their room.
• The players put on their uniforms.
• The guests left their coats by the door.

In each sentence, their tells us who owns or is connected to the thing.

The room belongs to the children.
The uniforms belong to the players.
The coats belong to the guests.

That is the job of their.

Why Is Thier Wrong?

Thier is wrong because the letters are in the wrong order.

The correct spelling is:

t-h-e-i-r

Not:

t-h-i-e-r

A common spelling rule says, “i before e except after c.” That rule can be helpful in some words, such as believe or receive, but it does not work for every word. Their is one of the exceptions.

That means you should not try to spell their by sound or by guessing from the “i before e” rule. You simply need to remember that their has e before i.

How to Remember Their

The easiest way to remember their is to connect it with they.

Both words start with the same sound and refer to the same general idea:

they = the people
their = belonging to those people

You can think:

They have their things.

This sentence helps because they and their belong together in meaning.

Another helpful memory trick is:

Their has “heir” inside it.

An heir is someone who receives or owns something, often property or money. Since their is about ownership, the word heir can remind you that their is the possessive spelling.

Look at the spelling:

t + heir = their

That makes the correct order easier to remember: h-e-i-r, not h-i-e-r.

Spelling Structure

The word their has five letters:

t-h-e-i-r

The tricky part is the middle:

ei

Many people accidentally write ie, creating thier. But the correct spelling is their, with e before i.

A simple spelling pattern to memorize:

their = the + ir

Or:

their = t + heir

The second trick is usually stronger because heir is a real word and connects to ownership.

Since their shows possession, and heir is connected to inheritance and ownership, the spelling becomes easier to remember.

Their vs. There vs. They’re

Even though this article focuses on their and thier, many people also confuse their, there, and they’re because they sound the same.

Here is the difference:

Their means belonging to them.

• They packed their bags.

There refers to a place or introduces something.

• Put the bags over there.
• There is a bag on the floor.

They’re is a contraction of they are.

• They’re packing their bags.

A quick test:

If you can replace the word with they are, use they’re.

If you mean a place, use there.

If you mean ownership, use their.

Examples:

• Their dog is barking.
• The dog is over there.
• They’re walking the dog.

The misspelling thier should not be used in any of these cases.

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Using thier instead of their

Incorrect:

• The kids left thier shoes outside.

Correct:

• The kids left their shoes outside.

The shoes belong to the kids, so the correct spelling is their.

Mistake 2: Following “i before e” too strictly

Incorrect:

• Everyone brought thier own lunch.

Correct:

• Everyone brought their own lunch.

The “i before e” rule does not work here. Their is an exception.

Mistake 3: Confusing their with there

Incorrect:

• The students finished there homework.

Correct:

• The students finished their homework.

The homework belongs to the students, so use their.

Mistake 4: Confusing their with they’re

Incorrect:

• Their going to the store.

Correct:

• They’re going to the store.

Here, the meaning is “they are going,” so the correct word is they’re, not their.

Example Sentences With Their

• The family sold their old car.
• The birds returned to their nest.
• The workers finished their shift.
• The girls shared their snacks.
• The boys forgot their jackets.
• The teachers prepared their lessons.
• The neighbors decorated their yard.
• The musicians tuned their instruments.

In each sentence, their shows possession or connection.

Is Their Used for One Person?

Yes. Their can also be used as a singular possessive word when the gender of a person is unknown, not important, or intentionally neutral.

Examples:

• Someone left their phone on the table.
• Each student should bring their notebook.
• A person should be able to express their opinion.

This use is common in modern English. It helps avoid awkward phrases like “his or her” when the person’s gender is unknown or when you want a more natural sentence.

How to Choose the Correct Word

Ask yourself: “Does this mean belonging to them?”

If yes, use their.

• Their house
• Their idea
• Their problem
• Their choice
• Their family
• Their favorite song

Now ask: “Am I about to write thier?”

Stop and check the spelling.

The correct order is always:

t-h-e-i-r

Not:

t-h-i-e-r

Final Answer: Their or Thier?

The correct spelling is their.

Thier is a misspelling and should be avoided.

Use their when something belongs to people, animals, groups, or someone already mentioned.

The best way to remember the spelling is that their contains heir, and both words connect to ownership.

So the correct spelling is:

their

Not:

thier