Its vs. It's: A Practical Guide with Everyday Examples

Writing an essay and suddenly wondering whether to use its or it’s then worry not as you are not alone. The simple rule that you need to remember to avoid this roadblock is that it is a possessive pronoun (meaning "belonging to it") and it's a contracted version of it is or it has. They have identical pronunciation, which is the reason for frequent confusion in writing. Keep on reading this guide to understand the difference between its vs it's and to avoid common errors while writing. Below you will also find a trick to select the right one and some day to day life examples for clear understanding.

Its vs. It's — The Quick Answer

Short on time? A scanable version of the featured snippet is created below for you:

These two rules, which form the backbone of this guide, are followed in the rest of the guide below, with examples and tips.

What Does "Its" Mean?

Its is a possessive pronoun! It indicates that the object is part of or related to something like just his, her, our and their. The difficult thing is that, although most possessive nouns in English have an apostrophe, "its" does not, understanding that, explains a lot of confusion. It's vs its question is much less confusing the more you know about the following rule.

Using Its to Show Possession

It is easy to remember: All about indicating that something belongs to an object, animal, inanimate entity, or abstract concept. Let's look at a few examples of various situations!

• Objects: The car lost its shine after years in the sun.
• Animals: The cat curled up in its favorite spot by the window.
• Weather: The storm showed its full force by midnight.
• Abstract things: The company reported its earnings for the third quarter.

Be aware that in each example “its” is preceded by a noun (tail, shine, spot, earnings) which belongs to the thing that was mentioned previously in the sentence. This sort of its vs it's examples are a great guideline to follow because, in most cases, possession will always precede the noun of its possession.

Why Doesn't "Its" Take an Apostrophe?

It is one of the most frequently asked questions and a simple answer to this query is that its is a possessive pronoun. And possessive pronouns do not make use of apostrophe. This follow the same rules as for he, her, our, your and their. All these words do not use apostrophe because that’s not the correct form. 

This type of confusion happens because apostrophe + s is used by people to show the possession of noun. But this same rule does not apply to pronouns. Possession of object is shown by possessive pronouns and using the apostrophe in it will make the sentence sound wrong.

What Does "It's" Mean?

The short and contraction form of it is or it has is It's. Depending on situation and meaning of sentence you can use It's instead of it is or it has. Keep on reading this section to make things more clear.

It's = It Is

Usually “it's” means “it is” and is used in reference to something that is happening, happening to someone, or a fact. For example:

• It's almost time to leave.
• It's a beautiful day outside.
• It's important to double-check your work before submitting.

In each instance, you might replace "it's" with "it is" and the sentence make total sense.

It's = It Has

The second meaning of 'it's' is a contracted from 'it has', often used when referring to something that has happened over time or occurred. For example:

• It's been a long week.
• It's rained non-stop since Tuesday.
• It's taken longer than expected to finish the project.

The test is still the same as before: use it has instead of it's and if the sentence still reads well, then you used it correctly.

The Simple Trick to Never Mix Them Up Again

It's the one thing that solves all the problem and it takes about two seconds to do the trick. Writing a sentence and wondering in a middle when to use its vs it's then worry not you can easily overcome this doubt by following the simple formula mentioned below:

Experiment with using the word it is or it has instead of it's. If the sentence is still understandable, "it's" is correct. If it sounds awkward or incorrect, use "its".

This is a handy, mini flowchart to tuck in your pocket:

• Read the sentence, and locate the word that is being sought.
• Substitute "it is" or "it has" in its place.
• Is the sentence still correct?
  • Yes → Use it's
  • No → Use its

For example: Write a sentence “The bird flapped it's wings” and try to change it with “The bird flapped it is wings”. Does this sound right? No, then the correct one is “The bird flapped its wings”.

It's a single test that is very helpful in most cases of confusion, and is well worth committing to memory if you're working as a scribe. This act as a cheat sheet for the students who wonder how to use its vs it's when they are in the middle of typing something. 

Is "Its'" Ever Correct?

Short answer – no. "Its'" isn't a dictionary word in any usage of English. Some writers think that, since plural nouns follow the same pattern as "the dogs' toys", then this should also be true of "its". Unfortunately, this reasoning doesn't apply because it is not used as a plural noun but rather as a possessive pronoun.

The critical thing to point out here that makes the "its' vs it's" distinction vanish is that its already functions properly for a singular and plural antecedent without changing the spelling. Even in talking about one company or a company in general, you wouldn't say “its' policy,” but instead “its policy.” This is why there is no plural its. The word was never meant to have an apostrophe to form its plural.

So if you're looking when to use its' vs it's, you should just shrug it off; it never. But it's not a recognized word, and its use will most likely be interpreted as a mistake and NOT a stylistic decision.

Common Mistakes with Its and It's

Even careful writers get it wrong at times! Be aware of these frequently made mistakes:

• Using "it's" to show possession: The apostrophe reflex sets in and instead of "its paws," one would write "it's paws"—he or she uses the apostrophe in most possessives.
• Writing "its" when you mean "it is" or "it has": This is typically done in situations where typing is quick, such as change to 'its raining' instead of 'it's raining'.
• Inventing "its'" as a plural possessive: As noted above, this form doesn't exist and is not grammatically correct.
• Overusing "it's" in formal or academic writing: Contractions such as "it's" tend to be too colloquial for formal business essays, reports and academic writing, and "It is" or "It has" should be used instead.

If you pay close attention to these 4 mistakes you'll see that you can cover the vast majority of "its vs. it's" mistakes you will come across.

Its vs. It's in Everyday Life — Real-World Examples

Grammar rules are much more memorable when presented in the contexts of writing that you use in your daily-life situations. Having clear understanding of when to use it's vs its is very crucial in our day to day life conversations. As a useful sentence starter, look at the table below to get things more clear:

After then, you will be able to see its and it's correctly used in these common situations, and you will find your task of picking the right one in your own writing much easier.

Its vs. It's: Quick Reference Examples

When reading a text and if you are ever unsure on which word to use, use this table as a quick proofreading checklist. A good tool to remember when do you use it's vs its, especially if you're busy proofreading your content just before hitting publish!

It's a handy reference table to help you avoid most of the mistakes that you will make with its/it's prior to pressing send or publish.

Test Yourself: Its or It's?

Are you ready to test your knowledge now? Then complete the worksheet given below to see how much you have understood.

Test Yourself: Its or It's?

Conclusion

With the help of this guide you can easily understand the difference between its vs. it's. You need to keep in mind one small things that its depicts possession and on the otherhand it’s is a short form of it is or it has. Whenever you are in doubt you need to do simple substitution test, it takes only few seconds to tell the correct form. This simple confusing grammar rule can become easy to follow with little practice. Keep this guide handy to avoid the future grammar errors.

Keep this guide handy to avoid the future grammar errors. These grammar tips can also complement essay writing help by helping you write clearer, more accurate essays.