It's vs. Its

When should you use the apostrophe with this word? It does confuse a lot of people. I notice it on billboards, menus, social media posts, blog posts, etc. Misplacement of the apostrophe is a common mistake.

With the apostrophe, the word means "it is" or "it has." September brings in pumpkin-season, and it's almost time to carve jack-o-lanterns! (Here, it's means "it is.")

Without the apostrophe, the word shows that an inanimate or gender-neutral object possesses something. Each pumpkin has its face carved into a grin.

So, I hope that pesky little punctuation mark isn't as much of a nuisance to you, and you'll forever be able to tell the difference between "it's" and "its" in all writing and correspondence.

Cheers,

J.