How to Use "Its" and "It's" Correctly

It’s likely that you occasionally confuse "its" and "it's", just like many other English speakers. This is a common mistake but also an easy one to fix. To avoid this error in your writing, just remember that "it's" stands for "it is" or "it has". If you develop the habit of checking for this familiar mistake in your sentences, you’ll soon stop confusing them.

Use "its" to indicate possession. When the pronoun is "it", the possessive form is "its". Similar to the possessive pronouns "hers" and "his", "its" does not require an apostrophe to show ownership. Write "its" when referring to something that belongs to or is part of an animal, plant, or inanimate object. Here are some examples:

• My oak tree loses its leaves in autumn. (My oak tree sheds its leaves in the fall.)
• My neighbor's cat never stays in its own yard. (My neighbor's cat never stays in its own yard.)
• That bottle of wine is cheap, but it has its charms. (That bottle of wine is inexpensive, but it has its appeal.)
• Google needs to update its privacy policy. (Google must update its privacy policy.)

Use an apostrophe when "it's" stands for "it is" or "it has". You should only add an apostrophe when "it is" or "it has" is shortened to "it's". Here are a few examples:

• "It's a nice day" (It's a beautiful day).
• "It's been a nice day" (It’s been a wonderful day).
• "Let's see that movie: I hear it's amazing!" (Let’s watch that movie! I heard it's fantastic!)

Check by substitution. If you're reading a sentence and are unsure whether to use "its" or "it's", try replacing it with "it is" or "it has". If you can swap "it's" or "its" with "it is" or "it has", you should use the apostrophe ("it's").

• Consider this example: "The tire had lost ___ air" (The tire had lost ___ air).
• You would insert "it is" or "it has" in the blank: "The tire had lost it is air" (The tire had lost it is air). This sentence is incorrect.
• The correct sentence is "The tire had lost its air" (The tire had lost its air). Since it's referring to air inside the tire, you'd use "its" to indicate possession.
• Remember, if you cannot replace "it's" with "it is" or "it has", adding the apostrophe is incorrect.

See the example sentence. You need to fill in the blank with either "its" or "it's". "The museum needs to update __ online schedule for summer" (The museum needs to update __ online schedule for summer).

Think if you can replace "it's" with "it is" or "it has". To determine if you should add an apostrophe, ask yourself if "it's" is a contraction of "it is" or "it has". If you're unsure, read the sentence aloud.

• Does the phrase "it is" or "it has" make sense in the sentence? The museum needs to update it is online schedule for summer (The museum needs to update it is online schedule for summer). The answer is definitely "no".
• Can you use "its" to show possession of an inanimate object? Yes, because the online schedule belongs to the museum. The correct sentence will be The museum needs to update its online schedule for summer (The museum needs to update its summer online schedule).

Try applying the same method to the following sentence. "___ hard to tell the difference between those shades of green" (It's difficult to spot the difference between those shades of green).

• Does the phrase "it is" or "it has" fit in this sentence? It is hard to tell the difference between those shades of green (It's hard to distinguish the different shades of green).
• The phrase "it is" works perfectly in this context, so you don't need to ask any further questions. The correct sentence is It's hard to tell the difference between those shades of green (It's hard to differentiate those green hues).