pron

they

THAY

pron

Used to refer to a group of people or things already mentioned.

"The students finished their exams; they left the hall quietly."

Used to refer to a single person whose gender is unknown, unspecified, or non-binary.

"Someone left their phone here — they must be nearby."

"My colleague uses they/them pronouns."

People in general, or unspecified people (excluding the speaker).

"They say it's going to rain later."

How to Use They

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishThe word for a group of people/things, and also the standard gender-neutral pronoun for one person.

Memory tip

The singular "they" has been used in English since at least the 1300s — it isn't a modern invention, even though its use for non-binary people is more recent.

Trace the full origin ↓

Common pairings

they say they/them pronouns

Word Forms

theirs noun form, theyed past tense, themself singular, theys singular

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

The students finished their exams; _____ left the hall quietly.

Etymology

Borrowed into Middle English from Old Norse their, the plural of a demonstrative meaning "those"; it replaced native forms that had become confused with "he".

Rhymes for they

ey key hey bey dey ley fey ney Rey grey joey whey

See all rhymes for they →