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E EnglishDart
A2

Its vs It's

It's is a contraction of 'it is' or 'it has'. Its (no apostrophe) shows possession — like 'his' or 'her'.

The one-line answer

It's is a contraction of 'it is' or 'it has'. Its (no apostrophe) shows possession — like 'his' or 'her'.

its

determiner

belonging to it — the possessive form, never with an apostrophe

  • The company changed its name.
  • The dog wagged its tail.
  • The city is famous for its museums.

it's

contraction

short for 'it is' or 'it has'

  • It's raining again.
  • It's been a long day.
  • I think it's a good idea.

Memory trick

Try expanding to 'it is' or 'it has'. If it works, use it's. If not, the possessive its has no apostrophe — just like his and hers.

Its vs It's: Test yourself

Question 1 of 2

The restaurant is famous for ___ pasta.