Why do people on the internet seem to have such a hard time distinguishing between your and you're?

Question

Why do people on the internet seem to have such a hard time distinguishing between your and you're?

Answer 1

Literacy issues. The rise of 1337-speak. Not everyone on the 'net knows English as a first language.

Take your pick.

For gamers, see also: Rogue and Rouge.

Answer 2

I think that some people associate the apostrophe with possession (Carol's coat, dog's tail) and mistakenly assume that the association applies in the case of your/you're. In this case the apostrophe stands for the missing letter 'a.'  We know that it's your coat and you're going to want it back!

Answer 3

They just get them confused. It also passes spell check since it is spelled correctly. I have seen worse.

Answer 4

I don't now

Answer 5

It's not just "your" and "you're." Take a look in the Diet and Fitness section under Health and look at how often "lose" is written "loose." I fear we are becoming less and less a society that values its written word and more an oral and aural one. Since "your" and "you're" are homophones, at least that is understandable. The "lose" - "loose" issue is more one of mere ignorance.