# Its vs it's

Canonical: https://duckyhelper.com/learn/grammar/its-vs-its/
Updated: 2026-10-01

It's is short for it is or it has: It's raining. It's been a long day. Its, with no apostrophe, shows that something belongs to it: The cat licked its paw. To check, replace the word with it is or it has. If the sentence still makes sense, write it's. If it does not, write its. There is no word its' in standard English.

## The rule

| Word | Means | Example | Test |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| it's | *it is* or *it has* | *It's cold outside. It's been snowing all week.* | *It is cold outside.* Makes sense, so *it's*. |
| its | belonging to it | *The company changed its logo.* | *The company changed it is logo.* Makes no sense, so *its*. |

Why no apostrophe for ownership? Because *its* is a possessive pronoun, like *his*, *hers*, *ours* and *theirs*. None of them use an apostrophe. You would never write *hi's* or *our's*, so do not write *it's* for ownership either.

**Wrong vs right**

| Wrong | Right | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| *The dog wagged it's tail.* | *The dog wagged its tail.* | The tail belongs to the dog. *It is tail* makes no sense. |
| *Its going to rain.* | *It's going to rain.* | *It is going to rain.* Makes sense, so it needs the apostrophe. |
| *The team lost it's first game.* | *The team lost its first game.* | The game belongs to the team. |
| *Its' color is bright red.* | *Its color is bright red.* | *Its'* is never correct. |

## Worked examples

**Example 1: two in one sentence**

Problem: *(Its / It's) time to give the dog (its / it's) dinner.*

1. First blank: *It is time to give the dog...* makes sense, so *It's*.
2. Second blank: *give the dog it is dinner* makes no sense. The dinner belongs to the dog, so *its*.

Answer: *It's time to give the dog its dinner.*

**Example 2: it has**

Problem: *(Its / It's) been three years since the bridge closed for (its / it's) repairs.*

1. First blank: *It has been three years* makes sense, so *It's*. Remember *it's* can mean *it has*.
2. Second blank: the repairs belong to the bridge, so *its*.

Answer: *It's been three years since the bridge closed for its repairs.*

## Common mistakes and fixes

| Mistake | Fix |
| --- | --- |
| Thinking every *s* that shows ownership needs an apostrophe | Nouns do (*the dog's tail*), but possessive pronouns do not (*its tail*). |
| Forgetting that *it's* can mean *it has* | Test both: *it is* and *it has*. |
| Trusting spell-check | Both words are spelled correctly, so spell-check often misses the mix-up. Do the test yourself. |
| Writing *its'* | That form does not exist. Use *its* or *it's*. |

## Practice

**Five its or it's questions**

1. *___ going to snow tonight.*
   A. It's
   B. Its
   C. Its'
   D. It

   Answer: It's. *It is going to snow tonight* makes sense, so use the contraction *it's*. *Its* shows ownership, *its'* is not a word, and *It going to snow* is missing a verb.

2. *The company changed ___ logo last spring.*
   A. its
   B. it's
   C. its'
   D. it is

   Answer: its. The logo belongs to the company, so use the possessive *its*. *The company changed it is logo* makes no sense, and *its'* is not a word.

3. *___ been three years since we moved here.*
   A. Its
   B. It's
   C. Its'
   D. It

   Answer: It's. *It has been three years* makes sense, so use *it's*, the contraction of *it has*. The other forms do not mean *it has*.

4. *The bird built ___ nest in the gutter.*
   A. its
   B. it's
   C. its'
   D. it has

   Answer: its. The nest belongs to the bird, so use *its*. *It is nest* and *it has nest* make no sense.

5. Which sentence is correct?
   A. Its time to feed the dog it's dinner.
   B. Its time to feed the dog its dinner.
   C. It's time to feed the dog it's dinner.
   D. It's time to feed the dog its dinner.

   Answer: It's time to feed the dog its dinner.. *It is time* needs *It's*, and the dinner belongs to the dog, so *its*. Each other choice gets at least one of the two wrong.

## Frequently asked questions

### Why is its not spelled with an apostrophe if it shows ownership?

Possessive pronouns never take an apostrophe: *his*, *hers*, *ours*, *yours*, *theirs* and *its*. The spelling *it's* is reserved for the contraction of *it is* or *it has*. Purdue OWL gives the same tip: you do not write *hi's*, so do not write *it's* for ownership.

### Is its' ever correct?

No. There is no form *its'* in standard English. Something owned by one *it* uses *its*. If you are thinking of a plural owner, the pronoun is *their*, as in *the birds and their nests*.

### Does the SAT test its and it's?

Yes. College Board's Genitives and Plurals skill includes choosing between possessive determiners like *its* and *their* and contractions like *it's* and *they're*. See [SAT Form, Structure, and Sense](https://duckyhelper.com/learn/sat-reading-writing/form-structure-and-sense/).

## Sources

- [Purdue OWL, Apostrophe Introduction](https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/punctuation/apostrophe_introduction.html), accessed 2026-10-01
- [College Board, Assessment Framework for the Digital SAT Suite, version 3.01 (August 2024)](https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/assessment-framework-for-digital-sat-suite.pdf), accessed 2026-10-01

## Related

- [Apostrophe rules](https://duckyhelper.com/learn/grammar/apostrophes/)
- [Affect vs effect](https://duckyhelper.com/learn/grammar/affect-vs-effect/)
- [SAT grammar: Form, Structure, and Sense](https://duckyhelper.com/learn/sat-reading-writing/form-structure-and-sense/)
- [Grammar study guides](https://duckyhelper.com/learn/grammar/)

## Try asking Ducky

- "Find every its and it's in my essay and make me test each one."
- "Quiz me on its, it's, their, there and they're."
- "Why does spell-check not catch my its mistakes?"

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