Its vs It's: The One-Second Test
Blog / GRAMMAR
It's always means "it is" or "it has". Its (no apostrophe) means "belonging to it". If you can expand the word to "it is" or "it has", use it's; otherwise use its.
It's = it is / it has
"It's raining." = "It is raining." "It's been a long day." = "It has been a long day."
The apostrophe stands for the missing letters.
Its = possession
"The dog wagged its tail." Expanding gives "The dog wagged it is tail", which makes no sense, so use its.
Possessive pronouns never use apostrophes: his, hers, ours, theirs, its.
Why people get it wrong
Nouns show possession with an apostrophe ("the dog's tail"), so "it's" looks logical. But pronouns follow a different rule.
There is no word "its'".
Check your draft
Search your text for every "its" and "it's" and apply the expansion test.
The editor's find tool on the homepage can highlight each one quickly.
Frequently asked questions
Is its' a word?
No.
Does it's mean it has?
Yes, as in "it's been".
Why doesn't its have an apostrophe?
Possessive pronouns like his, hers and its don't use apostrophes.