its

Its is the possessive form of the pronoun it—it means belonging to it. It’s is a contraction of it is or it has—meaning that it’s a combination of the two words, making it shorter to say.

The confusing part is that possession is often indicated by an apostrophe and the letter s (’s), as in That is Mike’s car or Is this anyone’s jacket? But some possessive pronouns—including hers, theirs, and its—just add s on the end, without an apostrophe. Its is the most potentially confusing because it is very commonly used with the verb is (unlike her and their, which are never used with is because they are never used as subjects).

As a possessive, its is typically applied to animals or objects in discussion of their parts or qualities, as in This container is missing its lid or Look at that bird—its beak is so long!  

If you can substitute it is for the word you’re using, then you want it’s. Remember, the apostrophe part of the contraction is really standing in for the letter i in the word is.

Here’s an example of its and it’s used correctly in the same sentence.

Example: Have you seen my suitcase? It’s¹ black and its² zipper is red and it’s³ got a ton of stuff in it.

1 = It is
2 = possessive
3 = it has

Want to learn more? Read the full breakdown of the difference between its and it’s.

Should its or it’s be used in the following sentence?

The car is missing _____ front tires.