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• possessive of it.

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• its
  its

  pronoun

  the possessive form of it (used as an attributive adjective).
• it's
  it's

  contraction of it is:

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

See Examples For:

its it's

When Apple expanded into domains beyond its native expertise, Cook selectively brought in external talent.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026

At the Shuck Station, I joined the evening crowd dining at its outdoor picnic tables.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

According to the lawsuit, Pentagon officials demanded that publisher Lederer fire Slavin and Korte shortly after Stars and Stripes published its report on the Lincoln.

From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2026

For the lodge and supporters, the 1998 parade remains unfinished and each application seeks its completion.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

The snake is alive, fighting, rattling its tail.

From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Since the beginning of his tenure, shares of Apple have rallied over 2,200%, the company has sold over 3 billion iPhones and it’s returned nearly $900 billion to shareholders in the form of stock buybacks.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026

I don’t know if McKinney’s smallmouth 30 will go down like Wilt’s 100 or DiMaggio’s 56, but it’s really bonkers, and if you don’t believe me, ask a smallmouth bass.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

In a time when it’s tough getting a full-time teaching job at such a young age and when coaches are mostly walk-ons, O’Leary is in position to make himself very valuable.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026

"School uniforms, shoes, haircuts, etc, it all adds up and if we can just help take one cost away it's a massive deal for us."

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

He’s got everything so well laid out, it’s as if the school is already built.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold