Proper use of “your” and “you’re” trips many writers up and is one of the most common grammatical errors in writing. Because they sound the same, it can be hard to remember which form is correct.

Remember This Rule

“You’re” is always a contraction for “you are.”

Example: “You’re late again!”

“Your” is the possessive form.

Example: “Your mother called while you were away.”

If you are unsure, try substituting every use of the form “you’re” with the words “you are.” If the sentence still makes sense, then you’ve used the correct form. Likewise, check every instance of “your” to make sure you really didn’t mean “you are” instead.