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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

The Seattle coffee giant said Thursday that it would close 250 locations, or 1% of its more than 18,000 North American stores.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

She added that Beijing also added more patrol boats and new or planned deportation facilities along its northeastern border.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

ASX-listed Ingenia said it received the latest offer late Friday and that its board is still assessing it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

LAFC, mired in a slump having won just two of its last 13 games in all competition, fired first-year coach Marc Dos Santos on Sunday with six matches left in the MLS regular season.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

In its gentle shadow, multiple tables had been arranged.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

"Something real, something uncompromising. Something that tells you it's just okay to come as you are."

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

“I understand why the secretary did what he did, but it’s not going to work.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

For the activists at Pro Animal DC, who are seeking to emulate places like California and Pittsburgh that have enacted laws against foie gras, it's about fighting animal cruelty.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

Now, it’s their job to capitalize on it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026

No matter what I do, it’s always going to be there.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold