# 'tis

/ˈtɪz/ (US) · CEFR C2 · Pronoun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/tis
Updated: 2026-05-06

## Definition

a very old-fashioned way to say 'it is'. You mostly see this in old poems or songs.

For teachers: a contraction of 'it is', primarily found in archaic, poetic, or literary contexts.

## Examples

- 'Tis a beautiful morning.
- Every December, children sing "'Tis the season to be jolly" as part of the old carol.
- While modern prose avoids such contractions, the poet used ''tis' to maintain the strict iambic meter of the sonnet's opening line.

## Pitfalls

- Not "tis" but "'tis" — The word is a contraction and requires a leading apostrophe to represent the missing letter 'i'.

## Usage notes

- A contraction of 'it' and 'is'; the apostrophe replaces the letter 'i' in 'it'.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.