Commonly Confused Words
📋 What it is
Homophones sound alike but differ: their/there/they’re, your/you’re, to/too/two, its/it’s.
🗣️ Coach says
These words sound identical but mean different things, so spell-check won’t catch them. The fix is a quick test: “you’re” = “you are”, “their” = belonging, “there” = a place. Expand the contraction to check.
🧠 Memory hook
Can you swap in the long form? “You’re” = “you are”. If it doesn’t fit, use “your”.
😂 Giggle
Why was the dangling modifier always embarrassed?
Because it never knew what it was supposed to be attached to!
😲 Whoa!
These are the most common mistakes in all of English writing — even fluent adults mix up “their/there/they’re” under time pressure.
✅ Quick check: Choose: “___ going to love ___ new bikes over ___.” (they’re/their/there)
Say your answer out loud first — then reveal.
“They’re going to love their new bikes over there.” — they’re = they are, their = belonging, there = place.
Each homophone has a distinct job; the “they are” test sorts they’re first.
🧪 Try it! (2 minutes)
Write one true sentence using their, there, AND they’re correctly. Test each by expanding the contraction.