Is it Your welcome or you’re welcome? If you want to be grammatically correct, you need to read this quick answer to a common grammar error!

Ah, the age-old conundrum of ‘your welcome’ versus ‘you’re welcome.’ It’s a grammatical quandary that has plagued humanity since the dawn of language. Okay, maybe that’s a bit dramatic, but let’s be real, it’s a problem that has caused more than a few eye rolls and silent judging.

So, if you’re tired of feeling like a grammar amateur every time you respond to a thank you, then you’ve come to the right place. Grab a cup of coffee and let’s dive into the wild and wacky world of contractions and possessive pronouns!

Is it Your welcome or You’re welcome?

Well, what’s the right way to answer a Thank You? This such a common error in texting, on facebook, in blog posts. Everywhere. It’s horrible. And the wrong choice makes me vomit a little bit each time I see this error.

There’s only one right answer, though. Do YOU know which one it is? If you guess, YOU’RE WELCOME, you are correct, my friend!

“You’re welcome” is a polite response that is used to acknowledge and accept someone’s thanks or appreciation. It is a short form of the longer expression “You are welcome,” which implies that the person thanking you is welcome to your help or service, and that you were happy to provide it.

The phrase “you’re welcome” is commonly used in social interactions, such as when someone thanks you for holding the door open or giving them a gift, and it is a way of showing politeness and gratitude towards others.

The Origins of You Are Welcome

The origin of the phrase “You are welcome” can be traced back to the Old English word “wilcuma.” Wilcuma meant “desired guest, cordially invited to do something, pleasure, delight, or kindly greeting.”

Over time, the phrase evolved into the modern English expression “You are welcome” which, as we’ve said is a polite response to someone’s thanks or appreciation.

The phrase “You are welcome” became popular in the 19th century as a standard response to expressions of gratitude or thanks, and it has been widely used ever since.

The Difference Between Your and You’re

YOUR is a possessive pronoun that indicates ownership. For example, “your” would be used in a sentence such as “Your hat is on the table,” where it shows that the hat belongs to the person being addressed. There is nothing possessive in YOUR welcome so you can’t use it in this instance.

YOU’RE is a contraction of “you are” and is used to describe a state of being or an action. YOU’RE would be used in a sentence such as “You’re wearing a hat,” where it is a contraction of “you are” and describes the action of wearing a hat.

Confusion between the two words often happens because they are homophones, meaning they sound the same but have different meanings and spellings. Therefore, it’s important to pay attention to the context of the sentence to determine which one to use correctly.

When it comes to the response for THANK YOU, the correct answer is YOU’RE. YOU’RE is a contraction for YOU ARE and the technical phrase is YOU ARE WELCOME. Therefore, the second choice is the only one that can be correct.

But should you even say You’re Welcome?? 

Answering a thank you is something we are taught automatically to do. It’s the polite to acknowldege the person thanking you and it’s ingrained in so many societies. When we learn a foreign language, it’s one of the first things we’re taught.

The Huffington Post wrote an interesting essay on why you should rethink saying You’re welcome, though. You are welcome essentially means that you accept the gratitude of the person who said thank you. The Huffington Post article offers that a more powerful statement would be, “I know you’d do the same for me.” They argue that statement shifts the balance of power! It’s an interesting article if you’d like to read it.

Some people claim the automatic response is dumb and we shouldn’t use you are welcome at all. It would be more appropriate to say, happy to help, or glad to have done it, or something along those lines. Then there are the hard liners like my husband.

He gets really irritated when someone acknowledges a thank you with yep or uh huh. Why can’t they just the age old answer, he thinks. I’m not really sure where I fall there. As long as you have some polite answer to a thank you, it doesn’t really make any difference to me. What do you think?

Example Sentences Using YOUR and YOU’RE Correctly and Incorrectly

Here are 15 sentences using YOUR and YOU’RE. Can You find the mistakes? (Hint, there are 7 mistakes!)

1. Is that your phone ringing?
2. Your welcome!
3. I can’t believe your moving to a new city.
4. You’re such a talented artist.
5. Have you seen your grades yet?
6. Your house is very tidy.
7. Can I have some of you’re popcorn?
8. Your going to love the new restaurant.
9. Make sure you check you’re coat at the door.
10. You’re welcome to come over anytime.
11. I think I left my phone in your car.
12. You’re going to be so happy when you see your surprise party!
13. I can’t believe your coming to visit me next week!
14. Can I borrow you’re pen?
15. Your welcome package has arrived

If you didn’t know the right way to answer to THANK YOU, YOU ARE WELCOME for this post!

More grammar posts you may like:

Then or Than?

How to make the word PEOPLE possessive

Bias or Biased?

Do to or Due to?

Less or Fewer?

Should have gone or Should have went?

If you’re looking for helpful grammar resources, here are my top picks:

Strunk & White Elements of Style

The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation 

Eats, Shoots, and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation 

The Grammar Girl’s Quick & Dirty Tips for Better Writing