Its great!

Did you spot the mistake in the title?

It should have been It's great!

If you didn't, perhaps it's not surprising. The two little words its and it's are often confused.

If you try to say those two words out, you'll realise they sound exactly the same. And that's the reason why, in writing, mistakes such as the following are common:

SemiAccurate - 4 November 2012

So what's the remedy? The first step to remember that it's is the contraction of it is or it has, whereas its is the possessive of it:

1) It's a beautiful day.
2) The dog is wagging its tail.
3) The company has sacked one of its employees.
4) He says that it's okay to buy the car.
5) It's been raining all day.

And then when in doubt, write out the full form:

1a) It is a beautiful day.
4a) He says that it is okay to buy the car.
5a) It has been raining all day.