The choice between here's and here are trips up even careful writers, partly because both phrases introduce a subject and partly because spoken English blurs the distinction constantly. The rule is short: here's contracts here is, so it pairs with singular nouns; here are pairs with plural ones. Getting this wrong doesn't usually stop a reader, but it does mark a piece of writing as careless.
Why the confusion happens
Here's is a contraction of here is. That single fact settles most questions. When you write "here's the answer," you're saying "here is the answer," which works because answer is singular. The problem is that people extend here's to plural subjects because it sounds fine in quick speech. "Here's the files you asked for" rolls off the tongue easily. On paper, it doesn't hold up.
The same pattern shows up with there's vs there are. Both pairs follow identical logic, which means the fix for one teaches the fix for the other.
The core rule
Use here's when the subject that follows is singular or uncountable. Use here are when the subject is plural. It's that direct.
- Here's the document. (one document)
- Here are the documents. (more than one)
- Here's the information you need. (uncountable noun)
- Here are the three steps. (countable plural)
The verb must agree with the subject that comes after it, not with the word here. That's the part writers forget. Here is never the grammatical subject of these sentences. It's an expletive opener that delays the real subject. The real subject comes after the verb, and the verb has to match it.
When "here's" with a plural feels natural
Informal writing and speech tolerate "here's" before a plural far more than formal writing does. You'll see constructions like "here's some tips" in casual blog posts, social captions, and everyday conversation. Most readers don't notice. In formal writing, academic work, or anything that will be edited closely, the plural subject demands here are. Pick your register, then stick to it.
One grey area: compound subjects joined by and. "Here's a pen and a notebook" sounds natural but is technically incorrect, since two items make a plural. The grammatically clean version is "here are a pen and a notebook." That said, here's before a compound is so common in speech that most style guides accept it in informal contexts without comment.
How to check yourself quickly
Expand the contraction. If the sentence still sounds right with here is, use here's. If it sounds wrong, switch to here are.
Try it: "Here is the options" sounds wrong immediately. That tells you the sentence needs here are the options. The expansion test takes two seconds and catches the error every time. It works for was vs were decisions too, where expanding to the full form quickly shows which verb fits the subject.
Common mistakes in real writing
The most frequent error is using here's before a list. Writers introduce a bullet list with "here's some ideas" when the plural noun demands here are some ideas. Lists are particularly vulnerable because the list structure itself visually signals plurality, yet the opener still defaults to the singular contraction out of habit.
A subtler mistake involves collective nouns. "Here's the team" is correct, because team is treated as a singular unit in most American English. "Here are the team members" is also correct, because members is an unambiguous plural. Knowing which noun you're actually attaching the verb to prevents this error. The same precision matters in select vs selected situations, where the grammatical role of the word determines the correct form.
Quick reference
If you remember one thing: here's equals here is. Never use it before a plural noun in formal writing. Expand it, check the subject, swap for here are if needed. That's the whole rule.
Both forms are correct in their proper context. The error isn't choosing one over the other. The error is choosing the singular form for a plural subject, or forgetting to check.