Its or it’s?
The short answer
“It’s” is short for “it is” or “it has”. “Its” shows that something belongs to it, with no apostrophe, like “his” and “her”.
What each one means
- “its”
- belonging to it
- Example: The dog wagged its tail.
- “it’s”
- it is, or it has
- Example: It’s raining. It’s been a long day.
Common mistakes
| Not this | This |
|---|---|
| The team won its first game. | |
| It’s a nice day. | |
| The app has its own settings. |
An easy way to remember
Say “it is” or “it has” in its place. If that works, write “it’s”. If not, write “its”, the same way “his” has no apostrophe.
Check your own writing
The box has a few of these mistakes already. Press Check, or paste your own text. It's free, needs no account, and runs in your browser.