QuickenBrain

Its vs. it's

Punctuation and spellingRule 5 of 5

The rule

"It's" with the apostrophe always means "it is" or "it has". "Its" without the apostrophe shows possession, like "his" or "her": "the app lost its data". Quick test: if you can replace the word with "it is", write "it's".

Wrong and right

  1. Wrong The company changed it's logo last year.

    Right The company changed its logo last year.

  2. Wrong Its too late to cancel the order.

    Right It's too late to cancel the order.

  3. Wrong The phone died because it's battery was old.

    Right The phone died because its battery was old.

  4. Wrong I think its going to be a long day.

    Right I think it's going to be a long day.

  5. Wrong Every project has it's own budget.

    Right Every project has its own budget.