Its vs. Its How to Choose the Right Word

The words its and its are easily confused by English-language learners and even native speakers. They are pronounced the same—and they do have a common base word—but they have different meanings and uses. Both its and its are based on the pronoun it, which serves as a function word or  refers to a previously mentioned noun.  However, its (without an apostrophe) is a possessive pronoun, like his or her. Its (with an apostrophe in front of the s) is a contraction of it is or it has. The apostrophe in its is a mark of omission, not possession. How to Use Its Use its when you need a possessive pronoun, which is a  pronoun  that can take the place of a  noun phrase  to show ownership. For example, one of the most classic uses of its as a possessive pronoun would be the cliche: Dont judge a book by its cover. In this case, its is a possessive pronoun referring to book. You are telling the reader or listener not to judge a book by the cover belonging to it, or connected to/placed on it. How to Use Its Its, by contrast, is a contraction for the words it and is. The apostrophe is literally swapping out for, or being replaced by, the apostrophe, as in: Its mine; its all mine. You are literally saying: It is mine; it is all mine. The reader or listener does not know what its refers to, at least not from this sentence alone. The word it in it is could be referring to any inanimate object or an animal whose gender is unknown. The it in its here could refer to a cellphone, for example in the sentence: The cellphone is mine. The word cellphone (and the article the, which precedes it) could be replaced with it is, as in: Its mine. You are literally saying, It (the cellphone) is mine. Examples Sal placed the ring back in its box and returned it to the safe. In this case, its is a possessive pronoun referring to, or renaming, the word ring, which is back in its box (the box that belongs to the ring).Mr. Rogers (aka Fred McFeely Rogers) used to say, Its a beautiful day in the neighborhood. In this use, the cardigan-wearing childrens television show host was actually saying, It is a good day in the neighborhood. Its is a contraction for it is in this example.Its been a long day, Granny said, and were all rather tired. In this example, its is a contraction for it is. Granny is saying, It has been a long day....When the landlord asked about this months rent check, Kim said, Its on its way. In this case, the sentence includes both uses of its and its. In the first, its is a contraction for it is. Kim is saying that it (the check) is on its way. In the second use, the its is a possessive pronoun also referring to the check, which is on its way. How to Remember the Difference Its is a unique construction because this possessive word quite frequently gets mistaken for its cousin its. To keep the meanings straight, remember: Possessive pronouns dont have apostrophes.Try substituting its or its with it is or it has, and see if the sentence still makes sense. If it doesnt, omit the apostrophe. The opposite is also true: If you omit the apostrophe and the sentence doesnt make sense, youll know you need to use that punctuation mark. So, if you say, The ring is back in its box, youre really saying, The ring is back in it is box. That makes no sense, so you would need to omit the apostrophe, as in: The ring is back in its box. Youre saying the ring is back in the box belonging to it or designated for it. Conversely, if you say, Its a nice day, that makes no sense. What you mean to say is, Its a nice day, meaning, It is a nice day. In this case, you do need the apostrophe. Sources Beard, Robert. â€Å"What Is the Difference between Its and Its?†Ã‚  What Is the Difference Between Its and Its? alphadictionary.com.â€Å"Its vs. Its: How Should You Use Them?†Ã‚  Grammarly, 16 May 2019.â€Å"Its vs. Its: What Is the Difference Between Its and Its?†Ã‚  Writing Explained, 27 Nov. 2015.