It’s (with an apostrophe) is always a contraction of it is or it has. Its (no apostrophe) is the possessive form of it, meaning “belonging to it,” just like his, hers, or ours. If you can replace the word with “it is” or “it has” and the sentence still makes sense, use it’s. If not, use its.
- It’s raining. (It is raining.)
- The dog wagged its tail. (The tail belongs to the dog.)
And one form you can cross off your list right now: its’ (apostrophe after the s) is never correct. It doesn’t exist in standard English.
The Two Words, Side by Side
| Word | What it is | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| it’s | contraction | it is / it has | It’s late. It’s been a long week. |
| its | possessive pronoun | belonging to it | The company updated its website. |
| its’ | not a word | (never correct) | — |
A couple of extra examples:
- It’s going to be hot tomorrow. (It is going to be hot.)
- It’s taken me all day to finish this. (It has taken me all day.)
- The tree lost its leaves early this year.
- Every city has its own traffic problems.
Quick rule: The apostrophe in it’s stands for missing letters, never for ownership.
The “It Is” Substitution Test
This test works every time, takes one second, and doesn’t require any grammar terms:
- Find the word you’re unsure about.
- Read the sentence aloud with “it is” or “it has” in its place.
- If the sentence makes sense, write it’s. If it sounds wrong, write its.
Let’s try it:
- The phone is losing (its/it’s) charge. → “The phone is losing it is charge.” Nonsense. → its
- (Its/It’s) not my fault. → “It is not my fault.” Makes sense. → It’s
- (Its/It’s) been years since we talked. → “It has been years.” Makes sense. → It’s
- The team celebrated (its/it’s) win. → “The team celebrated it is win.” Nonsense. → its
Memory trick: If you can’t say “it is” or “it has,” leave the apostrophe out.
Don’t forget “it has”
Many people test only with “it is” and get confused by sentences like It’s been a while or It’s got four wheels. “It is been a while” sounds wrong, but “it has been a while” sounds fine, so the apostrophe stays. Always try both expansions before you delete an apostrophe. In practice, it’s means “it has” mostly before been and got, and before past participles like taken, gone, or become.
Why This Is So Confusing
If you’ve ever mixed these up, you’re in good company, and there’s a logical reason behind the mistake.
In English, we usually show possession with an apostrophe plus s: the dog’s bowl, Maria’s car, the company’s policy. So it feels natural to write it’s for “belonging to it.” Your brain is applying a real rule; it just happens to be the wrong rule here.
The catch is that pronouns don’t use apostrophes for possession. Look at the whole family:
| Pronoun | Possessive form |
|---|---|
| he | his |
| she | her / hers |
| we | our / ours |
| you | your / yours |
| they | their / theirs |
| who | whose |
| it | its |
Nobody writes hi’s or her’s or our’s. Its belongs in the same group. If you remember that its is a pronoun like his, the missing apostrophe stops looking strange.
Memory trick: His has no apostrophe, and neither does its. Think “his, hers, its.”
For a full rundown of when apostrophes do show possession, see our punctuation guide.
Why “Its’” Is Never Right
People sometimes try its’ as a compromise, especially when they’re unsure. But an apostrophe after the s is used for plural nouns that end in s: the students’ lockers, the Smiths’ house. It has no plural form that would need this, and the possessive its already exists. So its’ has no job to do. If you spot it in your writing, change it to its (possessive) or it’s (it is / it has).
The Same Logic Works for Other Pairs
Once you’ve learned the its/it’s rule, you get three more pairs for free. In each one, the version with an apostrophe is a contraction, and the version without is a possessive.
| Contraction (apostrophe = missing letters) | Possessive (no apostrophe) |
|---|---|
| it’s = it is / it has | its = belonging to it |
| you’re = you are | your = belonging to you |
| who’s = who is / who has | whose = belonging to whom |
| they’re = they are | their = belonging to them |
Run the same substitution test:
- (Your/You’re) late. → “You are late.” → You’re late.
- Is this (your/you’re) jacket? → “you are jacket”? No. → your jacket.
- (Whose/Who’s) coming tonight? → “Who is coming?” → Who’s coming tonight?
- (Whose/Who’s) phone is ringing? → “Who is phone”? No. → Whose phone is ringing?
- (Their/They’re) moving to Denver. → “They are moving.” → They’re moving to Denver.
(There, meaning a place, is the third member of that last group, but it’s neither a contraction nor a possessive.) If whose and who make you think of whom, our post on who vs. whom covers that pair.
Why Spell Checkers Won’t Save You
Both its and it’s are real, correctly spelled words, so a basic spell checker has no reason to flag either one. The same goes for your/you’re and their/they’re. Some grammar checkers catch these mix-ups, but they don’t catch every case, especially in longer or unusual sentences.
That’s why it’s worth doing a quick manual pass:
- Search your document for it’s and test each one with “it is” or “it has.”
- Search for its’ and fix every result (there should be none).
- In important writing, such as job applications, client emails, or anything published, read the sentence aloud.
| ❌ Avoid | ✅ Use |
|---|---|
| The app updates it’s settings automatically. | The app updates its settings automatically. |
| Its a beautiful day. | It’s a beautiful day. |
| The committee made its’ decision. | The committee made its decision. |
| Its been ages! | It’s been ages! |
| The bird built it’s nest. | The bird built its nest. |
Practice: Its or It’s?
Fill in each blank with its or it’s.
- ______ hard to believe summer is over.
- The car needs new tires; ______ tread is almost gone.
- ______ been raining since noon.
- The bakery is known for ______ sourdough.
- I think ______ time to leave.
- The museum reopened ______ doors after the renovation.
Answer Key
- It’s (It is hard to believe.)
- its (the tread belongs to the car)
- It’s (It has been raining.)
- its (the sourdough belongs to the bakery)
- it’s (it is time to leave)
- its (the doors belong to the museum)
Looking for more quick fixes? Try affect vs. effect next, or browse the full list of confusing pairs in our tricky words guide.
The Bottom Line
It’s always means it is or it has. Its always means belonging to it, with no apostrophe, just like his and hers. Its’ never exists. When in doubt, swap in “it is” or “it has”: if it fits, use the apostrophe; if it doesn’t, leave it out. The same test fixes your/you’re, whose/who’s, and their/they’re, and it catches the mistakes your spell checker misses. That’s one rule, four pairs, and fewer red marks: the kind of shortcut GrammarVista.com USA is here for.