Its or it's, their or there: confused words on the GED

Which confused words show up on the GED? Fixing frequently confused words is one of GED's language skills.^[1] GED's own materials for teachers give these examples: passed and past; two, too and to; there, their and they're; knew and new; and it's and its.^[1] GED also reports that some students mix up your and you're.^[1] These are examples of the skill, not a list of the words on your test. This post explains each pair in plain words, with one quick test for each and short examples of our own.

What GED means by confused words

GED's skill covers frequently confused words and homonyms, including contractions.^[1] Two terms help here:

• Homonyms are words that sound alike but mean different things, like there and their.
• A contraction is two words shortened into one, with an apostrophe where letters were left out. It's is short for it is or it has.^[2]

Many confused pairs are a contraction and a word that sounds just like it: it's and its, they're and their, you're and your.

How confused words show up on the test

In the editing questions

Language questions come as a passage that needs editing, with 4 to 5 drop-down menus. Each drop-down tests one of 13 language skills, and homonyms are one of the skill areas named.^[1] A drop-down menu is a small list of choices that you open and pick from. Our post on GED Language Arts question types shows how these questions work.

For confused words, the job is to choose the option with the correct spelling of a word that sounds like another word.^[1] When the choices sound alike, the sound cannot help you. The meaning of the sentence decides.

In your essay

Confused words count in the essay too. Frequently confused words and homonyms, including contractions, are the first of seven conventions skills listed under Trait 3 of the essay's scoring rubric.^[3] Conventions are the rules of standard written English, such as grammar, usage and punctuation. Our post on how the GED essay is scored explains all three traits.

What about spelling? GED's essay workbook says written responses are not evaluated for spelling.^[4] But writing their when you mean there is more than a spelling slip. It is a usage error, the wrong word in the wrong place, and that is the kind of mistake Trait 3 covers.^[3]

The same workbook tells you to check, when you proofread, that you used the right homophone, or sound-alike word, with to, too and two as its example.^[4] If you practice on a computer or a phone, do not count on the spell checker. It will not catch a sound-alike mistake that forms another real word, such as your for you're.^[5]

The pairs GED names, one at a time

Your ear cannot tell these words apart, so check the meaning instead.

Its or it's

It's is short for it is or it has. Its, with no apostrophe, shows that something belongs to it.^[2]

Quick test: put it is or it has in the spot. If either one makes sense, write it's.^[6] If neither does, write its.

• It's cold outside. (It is cold outside.)
• It's been a long day. (It has been a long day.)
• The bakery changed its hours. ("Changed it is hours" makes no sense, so the word is its.)

Their, there or they're

Their shows that something belongs to them. There is a place word, and it has the word here inside it. They're is short for they are.^[2]

Quick test: try they are in the spot. If it makes sense, write they're.^[6] If not, ask whether the word shows that something belongs to them. If it does, write their. If not, write there.

• They're waiting at the bus stop. (They are waiting.)
• Leave the boxes over there. (A place, with here inside the word.)
• The neighbors parked their car on the street. (The car belongs to them.)

Two, too or to

Two is the number 2. A memory aid: two, twelve and between all have tw, and all relate to the number 2. Too means very or also, and it has one o too many. To is a small linking word, as in walk to the store, or the start of a verb, as in to save.^[2]

Quick test: if you mean the number, write two. If you can put very or also in its place, write too. Otherwise, write to.

• We need two more chairs.
• This coffee is too hot. (Very hot.)
• Can I come too? (Also.)
• I walk to work to save money.

Your or you're

GED reports that some students mix up this pair.^[1] You're is short for you are. Your shows that something belongs to you.^[6]

Quick test: put you are in the spot. If the sentence makes sense, write you're.^[6] If not, write your.

• You're next in line. (You are next in line.)
• Your order is ready. ("You are order is ready" makes no sense.)

Passed or past, knew or new

These two pairs are also on GED's list.^[1]

• Passed is always a verb: it is pass with -ed added, its past tense. Past is never a verb. It can name what has already happened, describe something gone by or ended, or mean beyond or by.^[7] "The bus passed our stop." "In the past week, we drove past the school twice."
• Knew is the past tense of the verb know, as in I knew the answer. New is an adjective: it describes a noun, as in a new job.^[8]

Quick test: passed and knew are verbs, while past is never a verb and new is an adjective.^[7][8] So if the spot needs a verb, a word that tells what someone or something did, write passed or knew. If not, write past or new.

Other common pairs that writing centers teach

The pairs below are not among the GED examples above. University writing centers teach them as common sound-alike pairs, so they are worth a look when you check your own writing.

• Than or then. Than is for comparing: "This bag is heavier than that one." Then is about time or what comes next: "Fill the tank, and then check the tires."^[2]
• Affect or effect. Affect is usually a verb meaning to influence, and effect is usually a noun meaning a result. One writing lab's memory aid is "RAVEN: Remember, Affect is a Verb and Effect is a Noun."^[2] So the rain affected our plans, and the rain had a big effect on our plans.
• Whose or who's. Who's means who is, so use it only where who is fits. Whose shows ownership.^[9] "Who's on the schedule today?" "Whose keys are these?"

A quick routine for any confused-word question

1. Read the whole sentence first. Know what it is trying to say before you look at the choices.
2. Try the long form. For a contraction, put in the words it stands for: it is or it has, they are, you are, who is. If they fit, keep the apostrophe.
3. Ask what the spot needs. Is it ownership, a place, a number, a time or an action?
4. Let meaning decide, not sound. These words sound alike, so only the meaning can tell them apart.
5. Check the sentence once more with your choice in place.

Practice it

Try two free practice questions on sound-alike words: one in a letter from a day camp and one in a sentence about roofers. They need no sign-up, and every answer comes with feedback that explains each choice. The other free practice questions work the same way.

When you are ready to write, OpenEssayMe lets you write practice essays and get feedback on each of the three traits. Improve your writing one practice essay at a time. For the full picture of the test, see our GED RLA test guide.