Its vs. It's

How to use "its" and "it's" correctly

This is an entry on my list of Common Errors in English Usage. Visit the main page for direct links to additional entries.

The difference between its and it’s is easy to remember if you keep in mind the rule that most possessive pronouns don’t use apostrophes. Compare its with his, hers, theirs, etc.

It’s effect on the economy was obvious. = It is/it has effect on the economy was obvious. (illogical)

Its effect on the economy was obvious. = The new policy’s effect on the economy was obvious.

It’s is most often used to stand for “it is,” but remember that it can also stand for “it has”:

It’s affecting the economy dramatically. = It is affecting the economy dramatically.

It’s affected the economy dramatically. = It has affected the economy dramatically.

Occasionally, I’ve had students interpret its as a plural pronoun. There is no form of it that is plural; we use forms of the pronoun they (them, their, theirs), or in other situations these or those, to refer to any plural noun (not just to people or other living things):

The books were on the table. = They were on the table. (not “its were on the table“)

Related Resources

Common Errors in English Usage: Errors in diction and idiom commonly made by native speakers of English

List of Common Errors in English Usage (PDF): Printable version of the complete list

Common Grammar Errors: A list of common errors in grammar (topics like subject-verb agreement and parallelism) as distinct from usage

List of Common Errors in English Usage: PDF version

© 2006, 2008, and 2019 C. Brantley Collins, Jr.