Thier or Their? Which is correct?

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Their is the correct spelling of the word. Thier is incorrect and not a word in English.

Their is a possessive pronoun that means that a group of people (They) own something.

That is their house. 

Do you want to drive their car? 

Thier mistake

Thier is a very common mistake in English. People often make spelling mistakes in English because the position of “i” and “e” can often confuse people. 

In this case, the “i” should come after the “e”. There is a famous rhyme in English that goes like this, “i before e except after c”. There are so many exceptions to this rule that it shouldn’t even be a rule. 

Words like “their” can be difficult to spell because most words do follow the pattern “ie” in English. 

To repeat:

The correct spelling is “their” and not “thier”.

Are there other common “i” and “e” spelling mix-ups that people frequently make?

es, there are! A few classic examples include words like “receive” and “believe” (where people often reverse the “i” and “e”), as well as “friend” and “weird”. These patterns trip up many people because the English language has a lot of borrowed words that might follow different spelling conventions.

What are some tips or tricks to remember the correct spelling of “their”?

One helpful trick is to think of “their” as related to the word “heir.” Both words deal with possession and ownership – something belonging either to a group of people (“their”) or a person who inherits something (“heir”). If you can remember that connection, the spelling might stick a bit more easily!

Besides the “i before e, except after c” rule, are there other spelling rules in English that have exceptions, making them unreliable?

Unfortunately, yes! English is a quirky language with a mix of influences, and many “rules” have more exceptions than words that actually follow them. Another unreliable one is the idea of “silent e” making a vowel sound long.

Think about words like “have” or “live” where the ‘e’ isn’t really doing that job. The best way to navigate this is to read widely and pay attention to word patterns – exposure will help you get a feel for what looks right, even when rules don’t always make sense.

 

 

Conor
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