its vs it's: the one possessive with no apostrophe
Everywhere else, an apostrophe signals possession. With "it", the apostrophe signals the opposite — and that is why this one never stops being tested.
Why it happens
You generalize correctly from "the dog's collar" and get punished for it. Pronoun possessives (its, hers, theirs, yours, whose) never take an apostrophe; the apostrophe form is always a contraction of two words.
See the trap
"The committee published ___ findings, and ___ clear the data was incomplete."
✗ The trap: "it's findings ... its clear" — both reversed.
✓ The fix: "its findings ... it's clear" — possessive first, then the contraction of "it is".
How to actually fix it
- Read the apostrophe form out loud as "it is".
- If the sentence still makes sense, it's is correct.
- If it does not, you need its. The same test works for who's/whose and they're/their.
Made this mistake on a real question?
Practice Standard English Conventions questions here. Miss one and it is logged with the exact error, then brought back until you beat it.
Practice Standard English Conventions →FAQ
Is the form its’ ever correct?
No — there is no such word in Standard English. Any choice containing an apostrophe after the s of “its” can be eliminated on sight.
How do I stop repeating this mistake?
Reading the explanation isn't enough — your brain needs to beat the trap on a fresh question. Practice the skill in the kaoshen.co question bank: miss one and it is logged with the exact error, then brought back to you three days later and again after fourteen.