If you’ve ever typed a sentence, stared at it, and wondered whether you needed an apostrophe before hitting send, you’re not alone. “It’s called” and “it called” look almost identical on the page, but they do completely different jobs in a sentence. Mix them up in an email or an essay, and your meaning can flip from “here’s what this thing is named” to “this thing picked up a phone.”
The good news is that the rule behind these two phrases is simple once you see it clearly. In this guide, you’ll learn exactly what each phrase means, when to use it, how to avoid the classic contraction-versus-possessive trap, and how to remember the difference for good with real, everyday examples you can copy straight into your own writing.
What Does “It’s Called” Mean?
“It’s called” is a contraction of “it is called.” It’s built from the pronoun “it,” the verb “is,” and the past participle “called,” and together they form a passive-voice structure that English speakers use constantly to name, define, or identify something.
Think about how often you explain what something is:
- “It’s called a boomerang.”
- “It’s called photosynthesis.”
- “That dish? It’s called shakshuka.”
In every one of these, nothing is performing an action. Nobody and nothing is “calling” anyone. Instead, the sentence is handing the listener a label. The passive structure quietly shifts the focus away from who assigned the name and puts it entirely on the name itself, which is exactly what you want when you’re introducing new vocabulary, describing a product, or explaining a concept to someone for the first time.
Key features of “it’s called”:
- It’s a contraction “it’s” always expands to “it is” or “it has.”
- It’s used to name, define, or identify a noun.
- It’s grammatically passive, and that’s completely normal here.
- It works in speech, casual writing, and formal writing alike.
If you can mentally expand “it’s” into “it is” and the sentence still makes sense, you’re using the phrase correctly. “It is called a boomerang” reads perfectly fine, which confirms “it’s called a boomerang” is the right choice.
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Full Form vs Contracted Form
English gives you two versions of this same idea: the full, uncontracted form and the shortened, spoken-style contraction. Both are grammatically correct the difference is tone and setting, not correctness.
| Form | Example | Best Used In |
| Full form (“it is called”) | “This flower is called a lotus.” | Academic writing, legal documents, formal reports |
| Contracted form (“it’s called”) | “This flower’s called a lotus.” (or “It’s called a lotus.”) | Emails, blogs, conversation, casual writing |
A few practical notes worth remembering:
- Formality matters more than correctness. Style guides for academic papers, legal contracts, and technical manuals generally prefer the spelled-out “it is called” because contractions can read as too casual for those contexts.
- Contractions dominate everyday writing. In blogs, marketing copy, social captions, and everyday conversation, “it’s called” is by far the more natural and widely used version.
- Neither form changes the meaning. Whether you write “it is called” or “it’s called,” you’re still naming or identifying something the grammar and the intent stay identical.
So the real question isn’t “which one is correct” both are it’s “which one fits the tone of what I’m writing.”
What Does “It Called” Mean? (When Is This Correct?)
“It called” is the simple past tense of the verb “to call.” Unlike “it’s called,” this phrase is active, not passive which means “it” isn’t receiving a label, it’s actually performing the action of calling.
This matters because in most everyday writing, “it” refers to an object, a concept, or an animal things that don’t typically pick up a phone or shout someone’s name. That’s exactly why “it called” shows up far less often than “it’s called,” and why it trips so many writers up when it does appear.
“It called” is grammatically correct when:
- A machine, system, or automated service literally placed a call.
- An organization or entity (referred to as “it”) contacted someone.
- A non-human subject makes a sound described as “calling” in a narrative or descriptive sense.
Examples where “it called” is correct:
- “The alarm system malfunctioned, and it called emergency services by mistake.”
- “The company reviewed my application. It called me back within a week.”
- “The owl called twice before the forest went silent.”
Notice the pattern: in every correct example, “it” is the subject actively doing something, and the sentence describes a completed past event not a name or a definition.
Where people go wrong: the mistake happens when someone tries to use “it called” to name something instead of describing an action. “It called a violin” doesn’t work, because a violin isn’t performing an action it’s receiving a name. That sentence needs the missing “is”: “It’s called a violin” or “It is called a violin.”
A quick test: if you can swap “it called” with “it named” or “it is called” and the sentence still logically works, you actually need “it’s called.” If the sentence describes something happening ringing, phoning, summoning, crying out then “it called” is doing its job correctly.
“It Called” Slang
Outside of strict grammar rules, “it called” occasionally shows up in casual speech and internet slang with a looser, almost personified meaning as if an object or situation is “calling out” to someone in a figurative sense. You’ll sometimes see phrasing like “the couch called my name” or “my bed called and I answered,” where “called” is used playfully to describe an irresistible pull toward something, not a literal phone call.
This informal, figurative use is fine in texting, memes, and casual social posts, but it’s not a replacement for the grammatical rule above. In formal or professional writing, stick to the standard uses: “it’s called” for naming things, and “it called” only for a literal or clearly implied action in the past tense.
It’s Called vs It Called: Side-by-Side Comparison
Seeing both phrases next to each other makes the distinction click faster than any explanation alone. Here’s a direct, side-by-side breakdown.
| Feature | It’s Called | It Called |
| Full form | It is called | (no contraction already simple past) |
| Voice | Passive | Active |
| Function | Names or identifies something | Describes a past action |
| Common usage | Extremely common | Rare, context-specific |
| Example | “It’s called a stethoscope.” | “The nurse’s pager called twice.” |
| Wrong usage example | ❌ “Its called a stethoscope.” | ❌ “It called photosynthesis.” |
| Best for | Definitions, introductions, product names | Storytelling, technical logs, action-based sentences |
The Contraction vs Possessive Trap
The single biggest reason people mix up “it’s called” is confusing “it’s” (a contraction) with “its” (a possessive pronoun). They sound completely identical when spoken, but they mean entirely different things in writing.
- “It’s” = “it is” or “it has.” Example: “It’s called a metaphor.” (It is called a metaphor.)
- “Its” = shows possession, like “his” or “her.” Example: “The cat licked its paw.”
Here’s why this trips up even confident writers: possessive pronouns in English his, hers, ours, yours, theirs never use an apostrophe. “Its” follows that same pattern. The apostrophe only appears when you’re contracting two words into one, which is exactly what “it’s” does.
| Sentence | Correct? | Why |
| “Its called a violin.” | ❌ Incorrect | Should be “It’s called,” since this is naming something. |
| “The dog wagged its tail.” | ✅ Correct | Possessive no contraction needed. |
| “It’s been raining all day.” | ✅ Correct | Contraction of “it has.” |
| “The company changed it’s policy.” | ❌ Incorrect | Should be “its policy” possessive, not a contraction. |
If you remember nothing else from this guide, remember this: “its” never gets an apostrophe, and “it’s” always does.
Memory Trick That Works
Here’s a fast, reliable test you can run on any sentence in under two seconds:
- Swap it’s for “it is.” If the sentence still makes sense, the apostrophe is correct. “It’s called a comet” → “It is called a comet.” ✅
- Ask if something is naming or acting. Naming = “it’s called.” Acting = “it called.”
- Remember the short version: If it names, it’s called. If it acts, it called.
Say that little phrase to yourself a few times and the rule becomes automatic most writers only need to consciously think about it for a week or two before it becomes second nature.
What It Called This Symbol
A very common real-world search (and a very common mistake) is the phrase “what it called this symbol,” usually meant as a question like “What is this symbol called?” This phrasing drops the necessary “is,” which makes the sentence grammatically incomplete.
Incorrect: “What it called this symbol?” Correct: “What is this symbol called?” or, more casually, “What’s this symbol called?”
The correct question structure always follows this pattern: question word + “is” + subject + “called.” That’s why “what is it called,” “what’s this called,” and “what is this symbol called” are all grammatically sound, while dropping the “is” breaks the sentence.
This same error shows up in other variations too “how it called,” “what it call,” “how is it called” and the fix is always the same: insert “is” (or its contraction) in the right spot, and make sure “called” is doing its job as part of a passive construction, not standing in as an active verb.
Quick reference for question forms:
| Incorrect | Correct |
| What it called? | What is it called? / What’s it called? |
| How it called this? | What is this called? |
| What it called this symbol? | What is this symbol called? |
Notice that English almost always uses “what,” not “how,” when asking for a name. “How” asks about method or manner, while “what” asks about identity which is exactly what you’re after when you want to know a name or term.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it its called or it’s called?
It’s “it’s called,” not “its called.” Since the phrase means “it is called,” it needs the apostrophe to show the contraction.
What is it’s vs. it is called?
“It’s called” is simply the contracted, everyday version of “it is called” ; they mean exactly the same thing, just with different levels of formality.
What is the meaning of it’s called?
“It’s called” means “it is called,” and it’s used to introduce or identify the name of something.
What does so-called mean in Gen Z?
“So-called” is used the traditional way even in Gen Z slang to describe something using a name or label that the speaker doubts or wants to distance themselves from, often with a sarcastic or skeptical tone (e.g., “her so-called best friend”).
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, the difference between “it’s called” and “it called” comes down to one simple question: are you naming something, or describing an action? If you’re introducing a term, a product, or a concept, you almost always want “it’s called.” If “it” is genuinely doing something ringing, phoning, summoning then “it called” earns its place.
Keep the apostrophe rule in your back pocket too: “it’s” always means “it is” or “it has,” while “its” shows possession and never takes an apostrophe. Run the quick replacement test whenever you’re unsure, and these small grammar choices will stop slowing you down and start making your writing look sharper, cleaner, and more confident whether you’re drafting an email, writing a blog post, or just trying to remember what that one symbol is actually called.
