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How to Use Its and It's

Three Parts:It's and Its Usage Cheat SheetLearn to Tell the DifferenceUse the Words Correctly in a SentenceCommunity Q&A

Do you always confuse "its" with "it's"? Does it drive you (and/or your teachers) crazy? To eliminate this mistake from your writing, brush up on the difference between "its" and "it's." Then, practice using the words correctly in a variety of different sentences.

Part 1
Learn to Tell the Difference

  1. 1
    "Its" is a possessive adjective that is gender neutral. The word "its" is used to describe something that is connected to an animal or an inanimate object. It's easy to get confused because some people think of it's as the possessive form which is not true. It is, however true when talking about names as in "Jeanna's dog bit me." Be careful not to get the two mixed up. Some example sentences may include:
    • My oak tree loses its leaves in autumn.
    • My neighbor's cat never stays in its own yard.
    • That bottle of wine is cheap, but it has its pluses.
    • Google needs to update its privacy policy.
  2. 2
    "It's" is a contraction that is shorthand for "it is" or "it has." Some sample sentences include:
    • It's (it is) a nice day
    • It's (it has) been a nice day.
    • Before the city council approves the new mural, it's (it is) going to have to find money in the budget.
    • Thanks to the sewage spill, it's (it has) been a bad season for tourism at the lake.

Part 2
Use the Words Correctly in a Sentence

  1. 1
    Look at the sample sentence. You'll need to either use "its" or "it's" in the blank. The museum needs to update __ online schedule for summer."
  2. 2
    Ask yourself some questions so that you can decide whether to use "its" or "it's" in the blank.
    • Does the phrase "it is" or "it has" fit in the sentence? The museum needs to update it is online schedule for summer. The answer, of course, is "no."
    • Could you use "its" to refer to something that belongs to an inanimate object? Yes, because the online schedule belongs to the museum. The right answer is: The museum needs to update its online schedule for summer.
  3. 3
    Try another sample sentence and ask yourself some questions. ___ hard to tell the difference between those shades of green."
    • Does the phrase "it is" or "it has" fit in the sentence? It is hard to tell the difference between those shades of green.
    • The phrase "it is" fits perfectly into the sentence, so you don't have to ask yourself any further questions. The correct answer is: It's hard to tell the difference between those shades of green.

Community Q&A

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  • Another tip for knowing when to use "its" in a sentence is to try replacing "its" with "his" or "her." If the sentence sort of makes sense with the substitution, then you know that you should use "its."
  • For more practice, try an online quiz to test your knowledge of "its" versus "it's." You can find additional quizzes online by entering the appropriate request into a search engine like Google or Bing.


  • When you're typing an email or a paper, your spell checker won't necessarily catch an error between "its" and "it's." Make sure that you reread your writing carefully to catch any mistakes instead of relying on spell check.

Article Info

Categories: Spelling

In other languages:

Español: usar its e it's, Deutsch: Der Unterschied zwischen dem englischen its und it's, Português: Usar Its e It's em Inglês, Français: utiliser "its" et "it's", Italiano: Usare It's e Its, 中文: 区分英语中的“Its”和“It's”, Русский: употреблять Its и It's, Bahasa Indonesia: Menggunakan Its dan It's, Nederlands: Zo gebruik je its en it's in het Engels, Čeština: Jak správně používat Its a It’s v angličtině, हिन्दी: "Its" और "It's" का प्रयोग करें, ไทย: ใช้ Its และ It's ให้ถูกต้อง, Tiếng Việt: Sử dụng "Its" và "It's", العربية: التمييز بين كلمتي "Its" و "It's"

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