Its vs. It's: Difference, Rules and Examples

The apostrophe in English generally signals one of two things: possession or a missing letter in a contraction. This general rule leads many writers to assume that it's, the form with the apostrophe, must be the possessive. That assumption is wrong, and it is the root cause of one of the most common errors in written English.

Its without an apostrophe is the possessive form. It's with an apostrophe is a contraction of it is or it has. The apostrophe in it's marks the missing letter, not ownership. Possessive pronouns in English, including his, hers, ours, theirs, and its, never take an apostrophe.

Its

Its is a third-person singular possessive determiner. It shows that something belongs to or is associated with a thing, an animal, or any noun that is referred to with the pronoun it. Like other possessive determiners, its always appears before a noun or noun phrase and never takes an apostrophe.

Its belongs to the same family as my, your, his, her, our, and their. None of these possessive determiners uses an apostrophe. Possession in pronouns is shown by the word form itself, not by punctuation.

Its can also appear as a possessive pronoun standing alone, without a following noun, when the noun is understood from context.

It's

It's is a contraction. It stands in for two different two-word combinations depending on context: it is or it has. The apostrophe marks the position of the letter or letters that have been dropped.

It's as a Contraction of It Is

It's as a Contraction of It Has

When it's stands for it has, it typically appears in perfect tense constructions where has functions as an auxiliary verb.

The expansion test works for both meanings. If either it is or it has fits naturally in place of it's, then the apostrophe form is correct. If neither expansion produces a grammatical sentence, the word needed is its.

Its and It's Compared

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake 1: Using It's Instead of Its Before a Noun

Because apostrophes commonly signal possession, writers frequently add one to its when it precedes a noun. The apostrophe is never correct here.

Mistake 2: Using Its Instead of It's Before an Adjective or Verb

When the sentence needs a subject-verb combination, it's is the correct contraction. Using its removes the verb and produces an incomplete structure.

Mistake 3: Forgetting That It's Can Mean It Has

Writers sometimes recognise it's as a contraction of it is but forget that it also contracts it has. In perfect tense constructions, it's should be used where it has would appear in full.

Mistake 4: Writing Its' with the Apostrophe After the S

Some writers place the apostrophe after the s, producing its'. This form does not exist in standard English. The only two forms are its (possessive, no apostrophe) and it's (contraction, apostrophe before the s).

Mistake 5: Applying the Apostrophe-for-Possession Rule to Pronouns

The rule that an apostrophe marks possession applies to nouns, not to pronouns. Possessive pronouns, as a category, never take apostrophes. This applies not only to its but also to hers, ours, theirs, and yours.

Mistake 6: Confusing Its with It's in Relative Clauses

Relative clauses that describe a noun using it sometimes prompt the wrong choice. The expansion test resolves the ambiguity.

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Choose the Correct Word

Choose its or it's to complete each sentence.

1. The university updated _______ admissions criteria last year.
2. _______ essential to back up your data before the upgrade.
3. The policy has _______ strengths and _______ weaknesses.
4. _______ been confirmed that the event will go ahead as planned.
5. The river has changed _______ course several times over the centuries.
6. _______ unlikely that the decision will be reversed.
7. The software needs to be restarted; _______ running slowly.
8. The report is valuable, but _______ conclusions are too broad.

Exercise 2: Identify the Error

Each sentence contains one error. Rewrite the sentence correctly.

1. The committee submitted it's recommendations to the board.
2. Its a common misconception that the two terms mean the same thing.
3. The building is famous for it's distinctive roofline.
4. Its' been over a month since the last scheduled maintenance.
5. The project has reached it's final phase ahead of schedule.

Exercise 3: Apply the Expansion Test

For each sentence, try expanding it's to it is or it has. If the expansion works, mark the sentence correct. If not, rewrite the sentence using its.

1. It's purpose is to simplify the registration process.
2. It's been a challenging year for the industry.
3. The committee will review it's findings next week.
4. It's clear that further research is needed.
5. The device lost it's connection to the network.

Summary

Possessive pronouns never take apostrophes. When an apostrophe appears in it's, it marks a missing letter, not ownership. The expansion test confirms whether the apostrophe belongs: if it is or it has fits naturally in the sentence, it's is correct. If neither expansion fits, the correct form is its.