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Its vs. It's

This is one of the most common mix-ups in everyday writing — an apostrophe changes the meaning entirely.

Its

The possessive form of "it" — shows that something belongs to it. No apostrophe.

  • The dog wagged its tail.
  • The company updated its policy.
  • Every rule has its exception.

It's

A contraction of "it is" or "it has." Always has an apostrophe.

  • It's raining outside.
  • It's been a long day.
  • I think it's going to work.

Quick way to remember

If you can replace it with "it is" or "it has" and the sentence still makes sense, use "it's." Otherwise, use "its."