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The It's vs. Its page

If you're confused by these two little words, you've come to the right place.

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It's is a contraction for it is or it has.

Its is a possessive pronoun meaning, more or less, of it or belonging to it.

And there is absolutely, positively, no such word as its'.

A simple test

If you can replace it[']s in your sentence with it is or it has, then your word is it's; otherwise, your word is its.

Another test

Its is the neuter version of his and her. Try plugging her into your sentence where you think its belongs. (It's better to use her for reasons I may explain someday.) If the sentence still works grammatically (if not logically) then your word is indeed its.

Examples

It's been good to know you. Contraction: it has
It's a bird! It's a plane! Contraction: it is

The dodo bird is known for its inability to fly. Possessive pronoun: its inability = the dodo bird's inability

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More on grammar

See Jack Lynch's popular and handy Grammar and Style Notes.

The Word Detective may surprise you with his history of it's and its.

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Gary D. Shapiro's Soapbox Changing the world one apostrophe at a time.® Gary's email 22 June 2000

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This page has been visited about   times since 30 November 1997. Whoopee.