A LITTLE WORD KNOW-HOW

Its or It’s? Correct Spelling & Examples

Its is possessive. It’s contracts it is or it has. An apostrophe in this pair signals a contraction rather than the possessive.

See it in a sentence

It’s time to print the puzzle and its answer key.

Try a quick check

Compare “It’s ready” with “The puzzle has its key.” Expand the first to it is ready. The second identifies something belonging with the puzzle and takes no apostrophe. In “It’s been saved,” the expansion is it has been saved; it’s can stand for it has as well as it is.