Its vs It’s - Understand the difference

Confused between Its vs It’s? Though they are pronounced alike the major difference is that  “it’s” is a contraction of the word “it is” or “it has” and the word “its” is a possessive word like “his” or “her”.

It is important to know about these words because one apostrophe can change the sentence frame and meaning. In this article we will explain how to use its and it’s in a sentence and the tips to recognise appropriate words.

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When will we use its or it’s in a sentence

“It’s” is a contraction and is used in a sentence that reads as “it is” or “it has”. “Its” is a possessive form of the pronoun “it” that means “belonging to it”.

To figure out the appropriate usage of its and it’s in a sentence follow the best tip given below.

• Swap in “it is” or “it has” in a sentence. With either of these substitutions if the sentence is appropriate and readable, then use the word  “it’s”.
• If the sentence is inappropriate and doesn’t make any sense, use “its”.

Example:

            1.  The puppy and its/it’s siblings were cute.

Let’s try our tip to identify the correct word.  Substitute the full form of “it’s” in the above example and check whether it is readable or not.

              The puppy and it is siblings were cute.      Wrong            

   The sentence is inappropriate. So the correct word is “its”.

             The puppy and its siblings were cute.        Correct             

How “it’s” is used in a sentence

“It’s” is a shortened version of the word “it is” or “it has”. In simple terms, the apostrophe indicates that a part of the word has been removed. 

Say like: 

1. “it’s drizzling” means “it is drizzling”. 
2. “It’s hot” means “it is hot”.

Examples

Let’s see some examples

Example 1:      He said it’s only a ten minute drive.

Did we use the correct word? Yes, we can check by substituting “it’s“ in full form in the sentence and check the readability.

       He said it is only a ten minute drive.               Correct              

Example 2:        It’s been a long time since we met.

Let’s expand our it’s in the above example-2 

                           It has been a long time since we met.      

Example 3:        Ofcourse, it’s not our bike.
                      
    Expand the sentence:  Ofcourse, it is not our bike.

Example 4:       It’s a nice bungalow.

Note: Remember that using contractions like “it’s” is discouraged in formal writings.

How “its” is used in a sentence

“Its” is a possessive determiner that is formed from the neuter singular pronoun “it”. Mostly used to indicate ownership, belonging etc. 

The word ‘its’ is used to describe something that has been mentioned already. For example “The university celebrated its twentieth anniversary”.

Examples

Let’s have a look at few examples

 1. The lizard has lost its tail.

Now swap “its” with “it is” in the above example- The lizard lost it is tail.          
            
The sentence is incorrect and doesn’t make any sense. So, the correct word is “its”.

                        The lizard has lost its tail.         Correct 

Here ‘its’ conveys that the tail belongs to lizard

More examples:

2. The wind blows high, its snow makes me shiver.
3. The company sold its shares today.
4. The server exceeded its maximum limit.

History of its and it’s

Long ago, in English we used apostrophes to indicate possessive nouns, for example: Rani’s car (that means - the car belongs to Rani);  Dog’s barks (the barks of the dogs). In the same way “it’s” began to be used around 1600.

The apostrophe form remained common throughout the 17th century. But the version of “its” without apostrophe became widely dominant in the 18th century probably due to the influence of possessive pronouns like his, yours, hers,ours.

Rule to keep in mind: its’ with an apostrophe after ‘s’ is always incorrect.

Its vs it’s: practice questions

1. Get an overview on these courses and why_____  essential to spend time crafting a strong one.   (it’s/its)
2. I have always been curious about artificial intelligence and _____ potential applications. (it’s/its)
3. I have learned to appreciate the subject’s importance and also _____ enormous historical significance.  (it’s/its)
4. Natural resources, _____ a gift given by god to human beings that helps in nurturing life.    (it’s/its)
5. Marine world is different and unique in _____ own way.  (it’s/its)

Practice questions Answers: 

1. it’s
2. its
3. its
4. it’s
5. its

Other Useful Links:

• Belief vs Believe
• Your and You're
• Elicit vs Illicit
• Elude vs Allude
• Affect vs Effect
• e.g. vs i.e.

Conclusion

Correct usage of it’s and its while writing is necessary to communicate your ideas properly. Always remember that

• “It’s” with apostrophe is contraction of “it is” or “it has”
• “Its” without an apostrophe is a possessive pronoun.

Proofread your document to avoid grammatical errors. And Follow the other links given above to know more about homophones.