When I am proofreading, I often find that it’s is used when its would be correct. I 
think that this occurs because the writer is thinking about apostrophes as a way to show possession. However, its is a possessive pronoun. It doesn’t need an apostrophe because it is already the possessive form of it.
Its means ‘belonging to it’.
It’s means ‘it is’ or ‘it has’.
The following are also possessives and don’t require an apostrophe: hers, his, mine, yours, theirs and ours.
Hannah McCall 
[…] have previously covered its as a possessive form, and it is perhaps the pronoun most commonly incorrectly assigned an […]
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[…] ‘Its’ and ‘it’s’ Its is a possessive pronoun – no apostrophe needed. […]
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I find that Word often decides an apostrophe is required when I know it isn’t. Most annoying. When I’m writing on the computer I rarely look at the screen as I copy type from my handwritten notes. It’s more than a little annoying to find one of my blog posts with a stray apostrophe I hadn’t typed. The hardest thing to do, I find, is proofread your own work.
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That is very frustrating! I agree – it is hard to proofread your own writing. You read what you think should be there instead of what is actually there.
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This is a rule I’ve only just learned, and still catch myself using an apostrophe when one isn’t needed sometimes. It annoys me when I see it wrong now.
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We all make mistakes sometimes, but at least this is fairly simple to remember.
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It’s one rule that stuck with me. Some I need constantly reminding of. ☺
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I’m sure you’ve all noticed the proliferation of “apple’s” and other items for sale! And the incorrect usage of it’s and its is creeping into the media…
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Yes, I like to view them all as business opportunities. 😉
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Always a classic mistake. I tallied over 500 misuses of it’s when I worked as a writing tutor. Thank you!
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That is a lot! I don’t think I will start a tally of the ones I come across; I dread to think how high it would get.
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One of my pet peeves!! Thanks for setting us straight, as always.
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No problem. 🙂
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It’s one of the most annoying things about my phone. Its auto-correct feature often leads to this mistake. 😉
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Yes, I have to keep a sharp eye on autocorrect’s wanton ways.
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