Commonly confused words.

The trickiest word pairs in English sound identical, which is exactly why they get mixed up. The fix is a quick test your kid can run in their head. Study Butler teaches the test, not just the right answer.

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Here is what that looks like.

Study Butler will not print the answer. It points at the next step and lets your kid take it.

An example. The butler answers the question with a question.

i never know whether to use your or you're.

you're is short for two words. what two words is it standing in for.

you are?

so read the sentence with 'you are.' if it still makes sense, use you're. if not, use your.

Where students get stuck.

The same few mistakes come up again and again. Here is where the butler slows things down.

01Guessing instead of testing

These pairs sound the same, so guessing is a coin flip. Study Butler gives your kid a substitution test to run every time, which removes the guessing.

02Forgetting that the apostrophe means a contraction

You're, they're, and it's are short for two words. The butler ties the apostrophe to the missing words, which usually settles the choice.

03Mixing up its and it's

It's the one exception that catches everyone: it's means it is, while its shows possession. Study Butler has your kid expand the contraction to check.

Bring the problem they're stuck on.

Type it, say it, or snap a photo. Study Butler walks your kid to the answer one question at a time, so they learn it instead of copying it.

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Questions parents ask.

What is the difference between your and you're?

You're is short for you are; your shows possession. Read the sentence with you are. If it works, use you're. Study Butler gives your kid this test to use on their own.

How do you remember there, their, and they're?

They're means they are, their shows possession, and there points to a place. The butler ties each spelling to its meaning so the choice is reasoned, not guessed.

Keep going.

More on reading & writing, taught the same way. Or see every reading & writing topic.

Reading & Writing When to use a comma Walk through it Reading & Writing The parts of speech Walk through it Reading & Writing How to fix a run-on sentence Walk through it