I see these two words confused all the time, even though they’re very easy to get right.
It’s is a contraction for “it is” or even “it has.”
- It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you. (It has…)
- It’s a mistake to buy that property. (It is…)
Its is a pronoun that means something “belongs to it.”
- I wouldn’t buy that car; its paint job is awful.
- The dog hurt its foot on its walk last night.
If you’re unsure, simply substitute “it is” or “it has” in the sentence to see which version of its/it’s you have. If the substitution works, then you want the version, it’s. If not, then you want its.
It’s simple, right?
Hmmmmm I guess my previous comment wasn’t good enough since you DELETED IT.
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