How to Use Its and It's

Co-authored by Noah Taxis

Last Updated: February 14, 2024 References

Like most English speakers, you probably confuse "its" with "it's" on occasion. This mistake is easy to make and easy to fix. To eliminate this tic from your writing, just remember that "it's" always means "it is" or "it has." If you get in the habit of checking your sentences for this common error, you'll soon be rid of it!

It's and Its Usage Cheat Sheet

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Using It's and Its Correctly in Sentences

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1
Use "its" to indicate possession. When the pronoun is "it," the possessive form is "its." Like the possessive determiners "hers" and "his," "its" doesn't need an apostrophe to indicate possession. Write "its" to describe something that belongs to, or is a part of, an animal, plant or inanimate object. Some example sentences may include:^{[1]
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- My oak tree loses its leaves in autumn.
- My neighbor's cat never stays in its own yard.
- That bottle of wine is cheap, but it has its charms.
- Google needs to update its privacy policy.
2
Include an apostrophe when "it's" means "it is" or "it has." Only use the apostrophe if "it's" is a contraction of "it is" or "it has." Some sample sentences include:^{[2]
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- "It's a nice day"
- "It's been a nice day"
- "Let's see that movie: I hear it's amazing!"
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3
Use replacement to double check. If you're reading a sentence and you're not sure if "its" or "it's" is appropriate, try replacing the word with "it is" or "it has." If you can replace the "it's" or "its" with "it is" or "it has," then you should use an apostrophe ("it's").^{[3]
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- Take this sample sentence: "The tire had lost ___ air."
- Replace the blank with "it is" or "it has": "The tire had lost it is air." This is clearly wrong.
- Therefore, the sentence should be: "The tire had lost its air." Because the air belonged to the tire, the "its" is possessive.
- Remember, if you can't replace "it's" with "it is" or "it has," then using the apostrophe would be wrong.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Practicing Using Its/It's Correctly in a Sentence

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You'll need to either use "its" or "it's" in the blank. "The museum needs to update __ online schedule for summer."
2
Ask yourself if "it is" or "it has" could replace the "it's." To determine if an apostrophe should be used, ask yourself if the "it's" is indeed a short form of "it is" or "it has." If you're not sure, read the sentence aloud.^{[4]
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- Does the phrase "it is" or "it has" fit in the sentence? The museum needs to update it is online schedule for summer. The answer, of course, is "no."
- Could you use "its" to refer to something that belongs to an inanimate object? Yes, because the online schedule belongs to the museum. The right answer is: The museum needs to update its online schedule for summer.
3
Try the same method for the following sentence. "___ hard to tell the difference between those shades of green."^{[5]
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- Does the phrase "it is" or "it has" fit in the sentence? It is hard to tell the difference between those shades of green.
- The phrase "it is" fits perfectly into the sentence, so you don't have to ask yourself any further questions. The correct answer is: It's hard to tell the difference between those shades of green.

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When do I use "it's?"

Community Answer

"It's" is the contraction of the phrase, "It is." Where you could use "it is," you can use "it's" instead.

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When do I use "it"?

Donagan

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"It" is a pronoun used to take the place of a genderless noun.

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Which word is correct for the sentence, "The book about the moon is about the moon and (it's/its) phases"?

Community Answer

"Its," because "it's" is a contraction of "it is" and "its" is possessive.

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Warnings

When you're typing an email or a paper, your spell checker won't necessarily catch an error between "its" and "it's." Make sure that you reread your writing carefully to catch any mistakes instead of relying on spell check.

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