their was

USAGE SUMMARY

"their was" is not correct and is not usable in written English.
Instead, you would use "there was" or "they were," depending on the context. For example, "There was a long line of people waiting for the bus" or "They were excited to go on the trip."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Now imagine if their was life on that star.

Harvard University

A federal investigation body responded by saying their was insufficient evidence to pursue the prime minister.

Independent

It gave me an out when I went to parties where their was drinking".

The New York Times

Their was no victory for you Mr Obama, the honour is his on martyred Osama!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Guardian

Their was no immediate response from the Fox Network regarding the lawsuit.

The Guardian - TV & Radio

(I felt like writing the transcriptionists back to reassure them that their was very close).

The New York Times - Tech

Oliver Kahn was recently asked if their was anyone who could tell him what to do.

The Guardian - Sport

But their was an obvious bounce in his step from the opening tip Friday.

The New York Times - Sports

Their was aim to make hard-hitting contemporary dance exploring the reality of being male in greater Manchester.

The Guardian

To our beloved son, brother and father, Their was no one like you; kind, loving, generous and talented.

The New York Times

It became clear that their was a need for two separate temporary 8bit registers (named MBL and MBH, or Memory Buffer Low/High).

Stanford University

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Always double-check your pronoun usage; "their" indicates possession, while "there" indicates existence or location.

Common error

Avoid using "their was" by remembering that "their" shows ownership. Use "there was" to indicate something existed, and "they're" is a contraction of "they are".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "their was" is a grammatical error resulting from the incorrect use of the possessive pronoun "their" instead of the adverb "there". Ludwig AI identifies this as an incorrect usage.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

40%

Academia

30%

Science

10%

Less common in

Wiki

10%

Formal & Business

5%

Social Media

5%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "their was" is a common grammatical error where the possessive pronoun "their" is incorrectly used instead of the adverb "there". As Ludwig AI clearly points out, the correct usage depends on the intended meaning: "there was" indicates existence, while "they were" is the correct plural form. Despite its frequent occurrence, especially in News & Media and Academia, "their was" should be avoided in favor of grammatically sound alternatives to maintain clarity and credibility in writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

there was

Corrects the possessive pronoun "their" to the adverb "there", indicating existence.

they were

Replaces the singular "was" with the plural "were" to agree with the pronoun "they".

it was

Substitutes "their" with "it" to refer to a singular, non-gendered subject.

he/she was

Replaces with a specific singular pronoun, appropriate when referring to a known individual.

this existed

Replaces the phrase to focus on the existence of something, using a more formal tone.

the former

Reference to the first item in a list

that existed

Changes pronoun to that

that had happened

Replaces the phrase to emphasize a past event or occurrence.

that one

Replaces the phrase to refer to a specific item

the situation

Reference to the situation being discussed

FAQs

What's the difference between "their was", "there was", and "they're was"?

"Their was" is grammatically incorrect. "There was" indicates the existence of something, while "they're was" is also incorrect. "They're" is a contraction of "they are" and cannot be followed by "was".

When should I use "there was" instead of "their was"?

You should always use "there was" to indicate the existence of something in the past. "Their was" is never grammatically correct.

How can I avoid confusing "their" and "there" in my writing?

Remember that "their" indicates possession (belonging to them), while "there" indicates a place or existence. If you mean to say something existed, use "there was".

Is "their were" ever correct?

"Their were" is never correct. "Their" indicates possession and cannot be used with "were". The correct phrase indicating plural existence in the past is "they were" or "there were".