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What are the Differences Between "Its" and "It's"?

How do you use “Its” and “It’s” Correctly?


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Certain English rules often make confusion among writers or speakers of the English language. Simply because English has a lot of rules and oftentimes this language does not follow its own rule.

The use of the English language correctly especially when writing, often tell if a person is well-educated or not. That is why some institutions have high regard for people who have excellent command on this global language. However, some people might still be in a state of confusion when using different words especially when they are using almost the same words. One common example is the proper use of the words “its” and “it’s.” To understand their usage better, let us first determine how these two words differ.

The word “it’s” is made up of two words, “it” and “is.” This is what we call a contraction. In contraction, an apostrophe is being used to replace the missing letters. There are also other forms of contraction such as “don’t” for “do not” or “shouldn’t” for “should not” as well as “wouldn’t” for “would not,” and many more. Contractions are commonly used in the English language.

The word “its” is quite tricky. This word is what we call a possessive adjective which means the word “its” is “belonging to it. Look into these words. “Its cage” would mean “the dog’s cage” or “the table and its tablecloth” would mean “the table and the table’s tablecloth.”

So how does it become confusing? The English rule states that if the noun dictates ownership, then the use of an apostrophe is needed, for example, “the dog’s house” or “the bat’s wings.” However, if we use the word “its” in replacement of the noun, we should never use an apostrophe. It may sound contradicting to the previous rule of using an apostrophe plus the letter “s” if we use a noun, but this word is an exemption.

The proper use of the words “its” and “it’s” should not be taken lightly. Oftentimes they are interchanged and can create confusion while reading. Just remember, if we want to replace a noun and have it in its possessive form, then we should use “its.” If we are replacing “it has” or “it is,” then the word “it’s” should be used.
Dec 1st, 2012 at 9:20 PM
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