its

¹ American  

[its] / ɪts /

pronoun

1. the possessive form of it (used as an attributive adjective).

   The book has lost its jacket. I'm sorry about its being so late.

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it's ² American  

[its] / ɪts /

1. contraction of it is:

   It's starting to rain.

2. contraction of it has: It's been a long time.

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its ¹ British  

/ ɪts /

determiner

1. 1. of, belonging to, or associated in some way with it

      its left rear wheel

   2. ( as pronoun )

      each town claims its is the best

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it's ² British  

/ ɪts /

contraction

1. it is or it has

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Usage

While it is possible to use its as a predicate adjective ( The cat is angry because the bowl you're eating out of is its! ) or as a pronoun meaning “that or those belonging to it” ( Your notebook pages are torn. Borrow my notebook—its aren't ), such use is rare and in most circumstances strained. See also me.

See contraction.

One of the commonest mistakes made in written English is the confusion of its and it's . You can see examples of this every day in books, magazines, and newspapers: its good for us; a smart case with it's own mirror , and even Cheng, and its' subsidiaries . Its refers to something belonging to or relating to a thing that has already been mentioned: the baby threw its rattle out of the pram . It's is a shortened way of saying it is or it has (the apostrophe indicates that a letter has been omitted: it's a lovely day; it's been a great weekend .

Commonly Confused

A very common mistake is to write its (the possessive form of it ) when it's (the short form of it is or it has ) is required: It's [it is] unclear what he meant. It's [it has] been wonderful seeing you again. But do not use it's for it has when has is the main verb: It has a strong flavor; use it sparingly cannot be written as It's a strong flavor… An equally common mistake is to use it's for the possessive, probably because ordinary possessives of nouns are formed with an apostrophe: the dog's coat; Mary's cell phone. But the possessive its is a pronoun, not a noun, and, like other possessive pronouns ( his, hers, yours, and theirs ), is written without that particular bit of punctuation: I have to fix my bike. Its front wheel came off.

See its.

Etymology

Origin of its

First recorded in 1590–1600; earlier it's, equivalent to it ¹ + 's ²

Example Sentences

But in this case, there would still be eight teams in Europe overall - because England would forfeit one of its two Europa League spots, plus its only Conference League position.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

The company, according to Reuters, is earmarking as much as 30% of shares for retail investors and scheduling a meeting with 1,500 of them at an event in June, once its IPO roadshow kicks off.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

Testing for predictive genes could be a way for the company to salvage its business.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

It was put back on the market in 2024 by its Manchester-based developer owner David Savage and his company for £2m but it is believed to have recently been taken off the market.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

I ask, picking up the tubing and placing it back on its hook.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam