The Difference between Your and You’re

I don’t know why it bugs me so much, but whenever I see the words “your” and “you’re” being used incorrectly I get very bothered. So, I am here to help explain the difference so you can learn when to use each one.

When to use Your

The word “your” represents possession.

It is your book.

It is your car.

It is your life, etc.

When to use You’re

Whereas the word “you’re” is just short for “you are.” 

You’re a nice person. 

You’re welcome.

I’m assuming the confusion comes from the apostrophe in “You’re”. Because usually an apostrophe represents possession. For example, the apostrophe in this sentence shows possession; The dog’s toy. 

But for the word “you’re” it is just a contraction of the words “you are,” the apostrophe is not showing possession.

How to Remember the Difference

The easiest way to remember is to just realize that “you’re” means you are. So, when deciding which one to use, ask yourself if it is showing possession, or if it’s short for you are.

The biggest mistake I see all the time is people saying, “your welcome.” But this doesn’t make sense. It should be “You’re Welcome,” because you are saying “You are welcome.”

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Another commonly misused homophone is there, their and they’re. Find out the difference here.