it's

English

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɪts/, X-SAMPA: /Its/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪts
• Homophone: its

Etymology 1

Contraction of ‘it is’ or ‘it has’.

Contraction

it’s

1. It is.

   It’s too expensive.

   It’s coming right for us!

2. It has.

   It’s been a long time since I’ve had cheesecake.

3. (colloquial) there's, there is; there're, there are

   It's a fine line between love and hate.

   It's a package for you by the door.

Usage notes

• See Usage under “its”

Synonyms

• (it is): ’tis

Translations

it is

• Catalan: ell és (ca)
• Dutch: ’t is (nl)
• Finnish: se on (fi), on (fi)
• French: c'est (fr)
• German: es (de) ist (de)
• Greek: είναι (el) (eínai) 
• Hindi: यह है (hi), यह है (hi) (yahe hai)
• Italian: è (it)

• Japanese: です (desu)
• Latin: est (la)
• Latvian: tas ir (lv), tā ir
• Lithuanian: tai yra (lt)
• Portuguese: é (pt)
• Spanish: es (es)
• Swedish: det (sv) är (sv), den (sv) är

it has

• Catalan: ell té (ca)
• Dutch: ’t heeft (nl), ’t is (nl)
• Greek: έχει (el) (échei) 
• Italian: ha (it)

• Portuguese: tem (pt)
• Spanish: ha (es)
• Swedish: det har (sv), den har

Etymology 2

From it +‎ ’s.

Adjective

it’s

1. (now nonstandard) Alternative form of its.
   • 1603, John Florio, trans. Michel de Montaigne, Essays, I.43:

     The manner wherewith our Lawes assay to moderate the foolish and vaine expences of table-cheare and apparell, seemeth contrarie to it’s end.

   • 1803, President Thomas Jefferson, Instructions to Captain Meriwether Lewis

     The object of your mission is to explore the Missouri river, & such principal stream of it, as, by it’s course & communication with the waters of the Pacific Ocean

Anagrams

• IST sit, STI, ’tis, TIS