...you vary (very) much

Most people who type "your going to" mean "you are going to." "Your" shows possession; "you're" is the contraction of "you are." A quick test fixes most cases: expand the phrase to "you are." If the sentence still makes sense, use "you're." If not, "your" is probably right.

Below are clear rules, plenty of copy/paste examples (work, school, casual), simple rewrites you can use, memory tricks, and related mistakes to scan for when proofreading.

Quick answer

"Your going to" is nearly always wrong when you mean "you are going to." Use "you're" before verb phrases (you're going to, you're going to need, you're going to finish). Use "your" only before nouns (your report, your idea).

"You're going to miss the train." (correct - you are)
"Your phone is on the desk." (correct - possession)
Quick test: replace the phrase with "you are." If it fits, use "you're."

Core explanation

"You're" = you + are (contraction). "Your" = possessive adjective. The forms are different parts of speech, so swapping them changes meaning or creates a typo.

Use "you're" before verb phrases: you're going to, you're late, you're welcome.
Use "your" before nouns: your name, your plan, your decision.

Hyphenation and spacing

Most errors come from writing what you hear. There is no standard form "your going to" as two words when the meaning is "you are going to." Hyphenated or spaced variants are extremely rare and usually deliberate (e.g., a stylized compound like "your-going-to plan"), not standard prose.

Grammar quick check

Replace with "you are." If the sentence reads correctly, "you're" is correct. If the sentence needs a noun after the word, "your" is correct.

Real usage: work, school, casual

Seeing the mistake in context makes it easier to spot. Each set below shows the incorrect line first, then the corrected line.

Work - Wrong: The deployment looks Your going to happen tonight. Work -
Right: The deployment looks like you're going to happen tonight. (better: The deployment looks like you're going to finish tonight.)
Work - Wrong: Your going to need the budget report for the meeting. Work -
Right: You're going to need the budget report for the meeting.
Work - Wrong: If Your going to lead this client call, prepare slides. Work -
Right: If you're going to lead this client call, prepare slides.
School - Wrong: Your going to have three essays due next week. School -
Right: You're going to have three essays due next week.
School - Wrong: Make sure Your going to citation style is consistent. School -
Right: Make sure your citation style is consistent.
School - Wrong: Is Your going to presentation ready for tomorrow? School -
Right: Is your presentation ready for tomorrow? (If you mean "you are," write: Are you going to give the presentation tomorrow?)
Casual - Wrong: Dinner tonight is Your going to be spicy. Casual -
Right: Dinner tonight is going to be spicy. (Or: You're going to find the food spicy.)
Casual - Wrong: Are You going to join us later? Casual -
Right: Are you going to join us later? (If contracting: You're going to join us later, right?)
Casual - Wrong: Your going to love this show. Casual -
Right: You're going to love this show.

Wrong vs right examples you can copy

Small swaps make the error obvious. Use these pairs to train your eye while editing.

Wrong: Your going to need an adapter.
Right: You're going to need an adapter.
Wrong: Your going to be responsible for the summary.
Right: You're going to be responsible for the summary.
Wrong: Your going to the concert this weekend?
Right: Are you going to the concert this weekend?
Wrong: The software update is Your going to the new features.
Right: The software update is going to add the new features. (Or: You're going to see new features after the update.)
Wrong: Your going to finish the lab before class?
Right: Are you going to finish the lab before class?
Wrong: This recipe is Your going to be a hit.
Right: You're going to be a hit with this recipe. (Or: This recipe is going to be a hit.)

Try your own sentence

Test the whole sentence, not the phrase alone; context decides whether "your" or "you're" fits. Use the widget below to try a sentence quickly.

How to fix your own sentence (rewrite help)

Don't just replace the word mechanically. Read the sentence aloud and choose the structure that sounds intentional.

Step 1: Decide whether you mean possession (your) or "you are" (you're).
Step 2: If "you are," try both "you're" and the full "you are" to check tone.
Step 3: Reread the sentence for flow and clarity.

Rewrite template: Original: Your going to need to edit the document. → Clear: You're going to need to edit the document.
Rewrite template: Original: Is that Your going to tonight? → Clear: Are you going tonight? or Are you going to that tonight?
Rewrite template: Original: Your going to the presentation slides are blank. → Clear: Your presentation slides are blank. (possession) or You're going to present slides that are blank. (if you mean "you are")

A simple memory trick

Remember the meaning: "Your owns; you're = you are." If the word shows ownership, it's "your." If you can expand it to "you are," use "you're."

Fix many at once: search your document for " your going" or " your going to" and run the expand test on each hit.
Set a keyboard shortcut: typing "youre" auto-replaces with "you're."

Similar mistakes to watch for

After one spacing or contraction error, writers often make nearby mistakes. Scan for these patterns:

they're / their / there
its / it's
your / you're
verb-form confusion (e.g., "lay" vs "lie")

FAQ

Is "your going to" ever grammatically correct?

Only in contrived compounds like "your-going-to plan," where "your" clearly modifies a noun. In normal prose, if you mean "you are," write "you're."

What's the fastest way to check in a long document?

Search for instances of " your " and " youre " (or "your going") and apply the expand-to-"you are" test. Use a text-replacement shortcut so "youre" becomes "you're" automatically.

How do I stop autocorrect from changing "you're" to "your"?

Add "you're" to your device dictionary or create a shortcut that replaces common typos with the correct form. Always glance at suggestions before accepting them.

Can I use "gonna" instead of "going to"?

"Gonna" is informal. It's fine in casual chat or dialogue but avoid it in formal emails, academic work, and professional documents.

Any quick mnemonic to remember the difference?

Yes: "Your owns; you're = you are." If the word shows ownership, use "your." If you can say "you are" there, use "you're."

Need to check one sentence now?

When unsure, take two seconds: expand the phrase to "you are" or paste the sentence into a checker. A quick check prevents a small typo from looking careless.