Its? It's? Or Its'?

A friend of mine asked me to write about how to choose the correct form of its, and I am happy to comply. Those three little letters cause a lot of confusion, but once you master a couple of basic rules, the choice becomes simple. Here goes:

1. Its' is never correct. Your grammar and spellchecker should flag it for you. Always change it to one of the forms below.
2. It's is the contraction (abbreviated form) of "it is" and "it has." It's has no other meanings--only "it is" and "it has."
3. Its is the form to use in all other instances when you want a form of i-t-s but you are not sure which one. Its is a possessive form; that is, it shows ownership the same way Javier's or Santosh's does.
   Example: The radio station has lost its license.

The tricky part of the its question is this: If we write "Javier's license" with an apostrophe, why do we write "its license" without an apostrophe?

Here is the explanation: Its is like hers, his, ours, theirs, and yours. These are all pronouns. Possessive pronouns do not have apostrophes. That is because their spelling already indicates a possessive. For example, the possessive form of she is hers. The possessive form of we is ours. Because we change the spelling, there is no need to add an apostrophe to show possession. Its follows that pattern.

Its used correctly:

• You can recognize Rene's music by its abrupt tempo changes.
• The golden retriever is known for its gentle personality.
• Golfing has lost its appeal for Gene because of his arthritis.

Test yourself. Decide which form is correct in these sentences.

1. Its / It's easy to get to the ballpark by car or bus.
2. This restaurant is known for its / it's emphasis on regional cooking.
3. Its / It's become very difficult to find parking near the library since it moved from its / it's Maple Street location.

Remember: When the word is a contraction of "it is" or "it has," the correct choice is it's. Otherwise, the correct choice is its.

Correct answers:

1. The word is a contraction in this sentence, so the correct form is it's.
2. The phrase "it is" doesn't make sense in this sentence, which needs a possessive form: its.
3. The sentence begins with a contraction of "it has" (it's) and then needs a possessive form (its).

I hope my explanation of its / it's works well for you. Just remember: Its' is never correct.

Lynn
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Other search spellings: grammer, gramar, apostrphe, aposotrophe, speling, posessive, possesive, punctation, pucntuation, writng

Comments

[manny]

I have also trouble using its and it's before until now a very simple and fairly explanation.

Thanks Lynn

Manny

[Friday]

Thank you. I consider myself to be very literate, and still I find that I over think this. Now I will remember.

[BabyFavorite]

Thank you for this! For some reason, "its" is rarely used correctly. In fact, I just had to show my (know-it-all) 10-year-old daughter that "it's" really is ONLY a contraction (by showing her what you wrote).

[Lynn]

Glad to be of help with your know-it-all!

[Art101]

Thanks for this clarification! It's great to find your website via a google search for its'. I've bookmarked your site for further exploration and reference. Cheers.

[Lynn Gaertner-Johnston]

Glad to be of help!

Lynn

[Chalana]

suppose this tips will help me a lot for my day to day operation

[Olivia]

Thanks! This was very clear, concise and helpful.

[Ksana]

Thank you! We adjusted our texts accordingly!

[Lynn Gaertner-Johnston]

I am pleased to have helped you.

Lynn

[John Hull]

Thanks Lynn. I very nearly sent off a letter using its' as the possessive form.

[Possessive]

It should be noted that the original possessive form was "it's", WITH an apostrophe, formed in the same way as "one's", and that removing the apostrophe in the 1800s was highly illogical. No wonder so many people have trouble with it.

[Lynn Gaertner-Johnston]

Thank you for sharing that historical information.

Lynn

[Yuzu Yuri]

oh, I love this! ^^ Thank you so much! :)

[Cobalt Lion]

Thank you for posting that. Good, concise grammatical information is important to communication in both bussiness and science.

[Lynn Gaertner-Johnston]

Yuzu and Cobalt, thank you for sharing your appreciation.

Lynn

["Doris"]

Oh, my...never its', hmm? You saved me from what would have been an embarrassing blunder (on a cover letter to a prospective employer, no less)! This simple rule is now indelibly etched in my poor, wrinkled brain, thanks to your (not you're, haha), non-stress inducing clarification. God bless your heart!

[Lynn Gaertner-Johnston]

Hi, Doris. I am glad to have saved you in a high-stakes situation.

Thank you for taking the time to share your appreciation and blessing.

Lynn

[Margaret]

I thought that Its' was the possesive form :-belonging to it. I know it's is the abbreviation of it is.

[Lynn Gaertner-Johnston]

Hello, Margaret.

I hope it's clear to you now!

Lynn