Commonly Confused Words and Contractions

Some words sound exactly alike but mean different things, and choosing the wrong one is one of the easiest mistakes to make. The editing questions test these pairs often because spellcheck cannot catch them — each spelling is a real word.

Commonly confused words are words that sound the same but differ in meaning and spelling, such as their/there/they’re and your/you’re. A contraction is two words shortened with an apostrophe, like “they’re” for “they are.” Knowing what each word means keeps them straight.

Their, There, They’re and Your, You’re

The trick with these pairs is to expand any contraction and see if it still makes sense. “They’re” means “they are,” “there” points to a place, and “their” shows possession. Wrong: Their going to the park. Try substituting “they are”: that fits the intended sentence, so you need the contraction “they’re,” not the possessive “their.” Corrected: They’re going to the park. Wrong: The books are over their. This points to a place, so use “there.” Corrected: The books are over there. The same test works for “your” and “you’re.” “You’re” means “you are”; “your” shows possession. Wrong: Your welcome to join us. Expand it: “You are welcome.” Corrected: You’re welcome to join us. Expand contractions into their full words to check the meaning. Possessives such as “Sarah’s book” use apostrophes differently and should not be expanded this way.

Its, It’s and To, Too, Two

“It’s” always means “it is” or “it has”; “its” shows possession, with no apostrophe. This one confuses people because possessives usually take an apostrophe, but “its” is an exception. Wrong: The dog wagged it’s tail. Expand it: “it is tail” is wrong. Corrected: The dog wagged its tail. Wrong: Its going to rain. Here you mean “it is.” Corrected: It’s going to rain. The “to/too/two” trio has three jobs: “two” is the number, “too” can mean “also” or an excessive degree, as in “too hot”; it can also mean “very” in some uses. “To” marks an infinitive, as in “to go,” or acts as a preposition, as in “to the park.” Wrong: I want to go, two. You mean “also.” Corrected: I want to go, too. A quick pause to ask what you mean prevents these slips.

Watch: A Short Video Lesson

Mr. Armstrong Teaches gives a clear overview to go with this lesson:

A Routine for Confused Words

1. Spot the apostrophe words and expand them (they’re = they are).
2. If the expansion works, the contraction is right.
3. Remember “its” and “your” show possession, no apostrophe needed.
4. For to/too/two, check for the number, “also” or an excessive degree, an infinitive, or a preposition.

Practice

1. What does “they’re” stand for?
2. Which word shows a place: there or their?
3. What does “it’s” always mean?
4. Fix this: “Your late for class.”
5. Fix this: “The cat licked it’s paw.”
6. Which “too/to/two” means “also”?

Answers

1. “They are.”
2. There.
3. “It is” or “it has.”
4. “You’re late for class.”
5. “The cat licked its paw.”
6. Too.

Where This Fits in Your RLA Prep

These pairs connect to using apostrophes and to writing in standard, formal English. See every topic on the Language Arts Prep Hub.

Recommended Prep Books

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