Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

theirs

/ðɛɚz/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.96 in modern English

Syllables: theirs
IPA: /ðɛɚz/

9

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

1

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

pron

That or those belonging to them; the possessive case of they, used without a following noun.

pron

Their house or home.

Informal

Example Sentences

"This luggage is theirs. These passports are also theirs."
"Theirs cost a lot more than ours."
"That cat of theirs got into our garden again."
"The letter had been given to the two Englishmen by a good friend of theirs in London, who had been in America two years previously, and had singled out Mr. J. L. Westgate from the many friends he had left there as the consignee, as it were, of his compatriots."
"Let's go over to theirs."

Etymology

From Middle English theires, attested since the 1300s. Equivalent to their + -s (compare -'s); formed by analogy to his. Displaced theirn (from Middle English theiren, formed by analogy to mine, thine) in standard speech.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: theires

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ðɛɚz/
British English: /ðɛəz/

Usage

Informal

Inflected Forms

their's (alternative, obsolete)

Homonyms

there's

Rhymes With

there's affairs shares tears cares bears stairs prayers pairs where's wears repairs

Questions

How do you pronounce theirs?: The recorded pronunciation is /ðɛɚz/.
What does theirs mean?: That or those belonging to them; the possessive case of they, used without a following noun.
Where does theirs come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce theirs

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “theirs”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ðɛɚz/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “theirs”.
Repeat and practice — Say “theirs” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.