it's
/ɪts/
"it-s" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“it's” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #55. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #55
- frequency rank, English
- 17,902
- “I” headwords
- 5
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Contraction of it + is.
Corpus desk
Index EN-it-s · it's · English
it's · rank #55 · 5 variants · 20 confusables
- FREQ-CORE #55
- LEN-MID 4 letters
- VOW-1 1 vowel
- CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
- VAR-MID 5 variants
- BOOK-DENSE 17,902
- PHOTO-FINISH had
Nearest frequency peer: had (-1 rank slots)
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
Frequency neighbourhood for “it's”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- were
were
99,949 corpus weight
- who
who
99,948 corpus weight
- had
had
99,947 corpus weight
- it's
it's
99,946 corpus weight
- their
their
99,945 corpus weight
- there
there
99,944 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “it's” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | it's |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Contraction |
| IPA | /ɪts/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #55 |
| Misspellings tracked | 5 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “it's” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 5 spelling variants around it's (IPA /ɪts/), acontraction. Corpus frequency is #55 among 17,902 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for it's, with forms such as "i'ts", "it'ss", and "its'". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "its", "itt", "ITC", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: Contraction of ‘it is’, ‘it has’ or 'it was'. The correct English form is it's, spelled I-T-'-S.
Definition
- 1Contraction of it + is.
- 2Contraction of it + has.
- 3Contraction of it + was.
- 4There's, there is; there're, there are.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how it's appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
it’s too expensive; it’s coming right for us!; it's a free country
[...], guided not by his own Will, but by the Medick Science, which dictates, that it's recessary, beneficial, and convenient to alter, mix, and temper this medicine, and fit it to the Disposition, and Constitution of the Patient[.]
Etymology
Contraction of ‘it is’, ‘it has’ or 'it was'.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- i'ts
- it'ss
- its'
- itt's
- ti's
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of it's - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "it's"?
What does "it's" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "it's"?
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "it's", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (5 here; floor ≥5).
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.