its

/ɪts/

//ɪts// det

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"its" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“its” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #75) as a determiner. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#75
frequency rank, English
17,902
“I” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Belonging to it.

Corpus desk

Index EN-its · its · English

its · rank #75 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #75
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 17,902
  • PHOTO-FINISH I'm

Nearest frequency peer: I'm (-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 “its”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “its” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

its vs IV
0% similar
its vs iz
33% similar
its vs ivy
33% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for its
PropertyValue
Headwordits
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechDeterminer
IPA/ɪts/
Letters3
Frequency rank#75
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “its” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). its lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for its is neighbouring look-alikes ("IV", "iz", …), not just typos; it is adeterminer pronounced /ɪts/. Frequency #75 among 17,902 “I” headwords. Gloss: "Belonging to it.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for its in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "IV", "iz", "ivy", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Equivalent to it + -s (possessive marker). From the earlier form it's (it + -'s), which is now considered nonstandard. Began to displace his as the possessive of the neuter pronoun in the Middle English period; had fully displaced it by the 1700s. The correct English form is its, spelled I-T-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Belonging to it.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how its appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The manner wherewith our Lawes assay to moderate the foolish and vaine expences of table-cheare and apparell, seemeth contrarie to it's end.
  2. since I have been at the Pains to write it, if he consents to it's being published I will follow my Friend's Advice, and chiefly yours.

Etymology

Equivalent to it + -s (possessive marker). From the earlier form it's (it + -'s), which is now considered nonstandard. Began to displace his as the possessive of the neuter pronoun in the Middle English period; had fully displaced it by the 1700s.

This word in other languages

su(Español)son(Français)sein(Deutsch)seu(Português)

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 "its"?
"its" is spelled I-T-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪts/.
What does "its" mean?
As a determiner, "its" means: Belonging to it.
What words are commonly confused with "its"?
"its" is commonly confused with "IV", "iz", "ivy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "its"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "its" is /ɪts/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "its"?
Equivalent to it + -s (possessive marker). From the earlier form it's (it + -'s), which is now considered nonstandard. Began to displace his as the possessive of the neuter pronoun in the Middle English period; had fully displaced it by the 1700s. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "its", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

I'm#74our#76now#72him#82
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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list