A Pro Guide to Using It's vs Its

Short answer: The main difference between it's vs its is that it's with an apostrophe and an -s is a contracted form of either "it is" or "it has" as in "it's [it is] raining. it's [it has] been heated.", whereas its without an apostrophe is the possessive determiner or adjective of it as in "The cat broke its legs."

However, you must go through the entire article to learn more about it's vs. its, when and how to use them correctly in different situations. 

This article covers:

• History of It's and Its 
• When to Use It's and Its 
• It's or Its Possessive 
• It's or Its Grammar Rules 
• Its vs It's vs Its'

Before you master the topic, you need to know why you're actually confused when it comes to using it's and its, needn't you? So that you can clearly understand what the problem is and what its solution is. 

Why Students Get Confused?

There's a well-established rule in English grammar that states that a singular noun is made a possessive noun by adding an apostrophe and an -s; for instance, boy becomes boy's and girl, girl's. 

This type of possessive noun is used to show possession; that is, something belongs to someone for example. 

People started to follow the same fashion in the case of the possessive form of the gender-neutral pronoun it. That is to say that they started using an apostrophe and an -s with the pronoun which resulted in the wrong usage of it's to show possession. 

However, you need to remember that there's a great difference between it's and its. It's means "it is" or "it has", whereas its means "belonging to it". 

Now you must be coming up with the question why people actually started using it's to show possession. To know why, you need to go back in the history of its and it's. 

 

History of It's vs Its 

Before the 16th century, the possessive pronoun for neuter nouns was his as in "April with his sweet showers." However, when the grammarians linked the pronoun his to actual males, the use of his for neuter nouns stood incorrect.

When the use of his for neuter nouns stood grammatically inaccurate, people started using the pronoun it in place of his as in "April with it sweet showers." 

Around 16th century, people started using it's replacing it as in "April with it's sweet showers." following the fashion of possessive nouns. 

The use of it's with an apostrophe and an -s to refer to neuter nouns to show possession continued during the 17th century; however, the use of its without an apostrophe got off the ground in the 18th century and continues. (Merriam-Webster)

 

Now the question arises when to use its and it's. For that, continue to read the remaining portion of the article. 

When to Use It's and Its 

As has been mentioned that it's is the contracted form of either "it is" or "it has" and its is the possessive form of the pronoun it, we use these two words in different situations. 

1. We use it's when we want to contract the subject and verb "it is" or "it has".

Examples: 

a. It's [it is] raining now.

b. It's [it is] me.

c. It's [it has] been over.

2. We use its when we want to show possession or ownership for neuter nouns. 

Examples: 

a. The dog has hurt its legs.

b. The cat has injured its head.

c. This is the pen and it is its head.   

Also read: It's me or It's I?

It's or Its Grammar Rules 

Grammar rule:- It's is the contracted form of "it is" or "it has" and is used in a sentence which uses the contraction. 

Examples: 

a. It's [it is] I who answered the question. 

b. It's [it is] raining cats and dogs. 

c. It's [it has] been destroyed by the car.

Grammar rule:- Its is the possessive form of the pronoun it and should be used as a possessive determiner or adjective to refer to a noun which is neutral-gender. 

Examples: 

a. The dog is moving its tail.

b. The bird is flying with its wings. 

c. The cat is feeding its kittens. 

 

Summary: It's VS Its 

Its is the possessive form of the pronoun it, and it's is the contraction for "it is " or "it has". Both its and it's are grammatically correct depending on the situation they're used in. However, using it's in place of its or vice versa as in "it's legs are injured." and "its raining." is absolutely wrong. 

So, use it's when it means "it is" or "it has" as in "it's raining." and "it's been over.", and use its to show possession or ownership as in "the dog has hurt its legs."  

FAQs - It's vs Its

Its or It's meaning

Its means "belonging to it", whereas it's means "it is" or "it has".

Its or it's examples: 

a. Its [possessive] tail is injured. (referring to an animal) 

b. it's [it is] raining now. 

c. It's [it has] been warm.

Its examples: 

a. The cat is breastfeeding its kittens.

b. The dog has injured its legs. 

c. A sphinx is a man by its head and a lion by its body. 

d. This is a pen and it is its head. 

e. This kitten has injured its tail. 

It's examples

a. It's [it has] been raining since morning. 

b. It's [it is] I who came first. 

c. It's [it has] been warm.

d. It's [it has] been closed.

e. It's [it is] me.

Its been or it's been 

"Its been" is grammatically incorrect, whereas "It's been" is grammatically correct. Learn more in the article. 

It's or Its Possessive 

It's is the contracted form of "it is" or "it has" and Its is the possessive form of the pronoun it. Learn more in the article.

Which is correct it's or its?

Both it's and its are grammatically correct depending on the situation. Its is used as the possessive form of the pronoun it, whereas it's is used as the contracted form of "it is" or "it has". Learn more in the article. 

Where would you use its?

You'll use its in a sentence which has a neuter gender noun which this possessive adjective or determiner refers to as in "The cat has injured its tail." Learn more in the article.

What is the basic difference between it and its?

The basic difference between it and its is that it can be used as both a subject pronoun or object pronoun referring to a neuter gender noun, whereas its is used as the possessive form of the pronoun it. Learn more in the article.

Is it's me correct or not?

Yes, "it's me." is correct in informal situations in spoken English. 

What is its use?

Its is used as the possessive form of the pronoun it to show possession or ownership referring to a neuter gender noun. 

Can we use its for people?

We don't normally use its for people, but yes we can use its for a baby whose gender is not known to you as in "The baby is searching its mom."

Is it its means or its mean?

Neither "its means" nor "its mean" is grammatically correct. "It means" is grammatically correct. 

Do you use its to show possession?

Yes, we use the possessive determiner or adjective its to show possession or ownership. 

Can we use it for human?

Yes, we can use it for a baby whose gender is unknown as in "the little baby is looking for its mom."

Can we use it for baby, pet or dog?

Yes, we can use it for baby, pet, dog, cat, birds and other animals. 

Is it it's or its?

Both it's and its are grammatically correct depending on the situation. It's is used as the contracted form of "it is" or "it has", whereas its is used as the possessive form of the pronoun it. Learn more in the article.