What is the difference between "is" and "his"?

His and is are easy to type incorrectly when you actually mean the other word. Here are the differences.

Is is the third-person singular form of the verb be in the present tense (e.g. relaxation is good).

His is the third-person male possessive pronoun (e.g. the dog is his) and possessive adjective (e.g. his dog).

We're pretty sure you'll be clear on these already, but just for luck, here are a few more examples.

Examples of "is":

• The plate is on the table.
• It's a nice day today. (it's = it is)
• She is taller than her sister.

Examples of "his":

• His shirt was brand new.
• Will his grades improve?
• I like my house, but his has a pool!

What's the correct phrase, "shook his head" or "shook is head"?

The correct phrase is "shook his head" – e.g. The teacher shook his head sadly.

Is the correct expression "on his way to" or "on is way to"?

You should use "on his way to" – e.g. He was in a good mood, and whistled on his way to the store.

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The definitions in this article were adapted from Wiktionary.