> "it's" is a contraction for "it is". It's true, but it seems orthographically inconsistent with other possessive forms; after all, "John's" can be a contract

> "it's" is a contraction for "it is". It's true, but it seems orthographically inconsistent with other possessive forms; after all, "John's" can be a contraction for "John is," or it can be the possessive form of the name "John." By analogy, one might think that "it's" can also take on both meanings, but that's not the case.