"It's" (with an apostrophe) is always a contraction of "it is" or "it has" — never possession. "Its" (no apostrophe) shows something belongs to it. Test: expand it to "it is" — if the sentence still makes sense, "it's" is correct; if not, use "its".
This is arguably the single most common punctuation mistake in English — and it's entirely avoidable with one quick mental test.
The rule
- It's (with an apostrophe) is short for "it is" or "it has". "It's raining." (It is raining.) "It's been a long day." (It has been a long day.)
- Its (no apostrophe) shows possession — that something belongs to "it". "The dog wagged its tail."
This feels backwards to a lot of people, because apostrophes usually show possession ("Sarah's book"). But "its" is a possessive pronoun, like "his" or "hers" — and none of those take an apostrophe either.
The one-second test
Expand the word to "it is" (or "it has") and reread the sentence:
- "The company announced it's/its new logo." → "The company announced it is new logo"? That doesn't make sense → use its.
- "I think it's/its going to rain." → "I think it is going to rain"? That works → use it's.
If the "it is" version sounds wrong, you want the possessive "its" — no apostrophe.
More examples
- "It's been a while since we spoke." (it has)
- "The team celebrated its win." (possession)
- "It's clear the plan won't work." (it is)
- "Every rule has its exceptions." (possession)
Frequently Asked Questions
Does "its" ever take an apostrophe?
No. "Its" as a possessive never takes an apostrophe — like "his" or "hers". The apostrophe version, "it's", is always a contraction of "it is" or "it has".
How can I quickly check which one to use?
Expand the word to "it is" and reread the sentence. If it still makes sense, use "it's". If it sounds wrong, use "its".
Why does "its" not have an apostrophe if it shows possession?
Possessive pronouns in English (his, hers, its, theirs, ours) don't take apostrophes — only possessive NOUNS do (Sarah's book). "Its" follows the pronoun pattern, not the noun one.