Its, It’s and ... Its’?

Recently, on Food TV’s Good Eats program starring one of my favorite nerd-chefs, Alton Brown, one of the facts that popped up on the screen during his “American Classics V: A Pound of Cake” show made me sit up and squirm.

There, for all to see, was a big boo-boo. Now, I’ve seen “its” confused with “it’s” many times, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen the word “its’” used in any context anywhere.

The show first aired on Oct. 26, 2009, by the way. That’s five years. Do you think nobody caught the error? “Its’” a possibility.