‘It Worth It’ or ‘It Is Worth It’? Which Is Correct?
You are about to send a message, and you pause. Should you write “it worth it” or “it is worth it”? The two phrases look almost identical, and the wrong one even sounds passable in fast speech. Here is the short answer: “it is worth it” is correct; “it worth it” is grammatically wrong, because worth is not a verb and cannot stand alone as the action of a sentence. The contracted form “it’s worth it” is equally correct and is what most native speakers actually say.
“It Worth It” or “It Is Worth It”? The Quick Answer
| Phrase | Correct? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| It is worth it. | Yes | Complete sentence: subject + linking verb + worth. |
| It’s worth it. | Yes | Contracted form of “it is worth it”; the everyday default. |
| Is it worth it? | Yes | The question form, with the verb moved before the subject. |
| It worth it. | No | No verb at all, so the sentence is incomplete. |
| It worths it. | No | Worth is not a verb, so it never takes an -s ending. |
The rest of this guide explains the rule behind the answer, the question form, the gerund pattern that follows worth, the difference between worth it and worthwhile, and better ways to say “not worth it.” It is the same kind of trap as other commonly confused pairs: just as swap vs swop trips writers up on spelling, this pair trips them up on a missing verb.
Why “It Worth It” Is Wrong
The problem is the missing verb. Every English sentence needs a verb, and in “it worth it” there is none. It is a pronoun, worth describes value, and the second it is another pronoun. Put together, they name things but never say anything about them — like writing “the cake delicious” instead of “the cake is delicious.”
That is because worth is not a verb in modern English. Dictionaries class it as an adjective that appears after linking verbs such as be, seem, and look. The Cambridge Dictionary grammar guide on worth and worthwhile puts it plainly: worth is only used after verbs such as be, and “to be worth it” means to be of reasonable or good value for the price. The verb form of worth is obsolete — it died out centuries ago — which is why “it worths it” is wrong too. You cannot conjugate a word that is not a verb.
The fix is one small word. Add a form of be, and the sentence works:
- “The trip was expensive, but it was worth it.”
- “The course takes months, but it is worth it.”
- “Trust me, it’s worth it.”
This is the same kind of verb-form slip as other pairs learners mix up. Just as felt vs feel turns on using the right verb form, this pair turns on including a verb at all.
The “Be + Worth” Rule
The pattern is simple and never changes:
Subject + a form of be + worth + a noun, a gerund, or it.
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| be + worth + it | It is worth it. / It was worth it. / It will be worth it. |
| be + worth + noun | The house is worth a fortune. / This watch is worth the money. |
| be + worth + gerund (-ing) | It is worth trying. / The book is worth reading twice. |
| be + worth + noun phrase | It is worth the wait. / She is worth her weight in gold. |
Only the form of be changes — with the tense, the subject, and the sentence type. The word worth itself never changes: no -s, no -ed, no -ing. And because the verb carries the tense, you can move through time without touching worth at all: “it is worth it” (now), “it was worth it” (then), “it will be worth it” (later). This is also why subject-verb agreement matters here, the same point covered in here is or here are: the verb must match its subject, as in “these tickets are worth it,” not “these tickets is worth it.”
What “It Is Worth It” Really Means: Cost vs Reward
“It is worth it” is a verdict on a trade. It says the reward justifies the cost — and the cost can be money, time, effort, stress, or risk. When someone says “the long climb was worth it,” they mean the view at the top repaid the tired legs. When they say “it’s not worth it,” they mean the price is higher than the payoff.
That trade-off meaning is why the phrase shows up in two different kinds of sentences. Sometimes the cost is a price: “A business-class ticket costs a lot, but it was worth it for such a long flight.” Sometimes it is effort or discomfort: “Don’t tire yourself out — it’s really not worth it.” In both cases, the grammar is identical; only the currency changes.
Asking the Question: “Is It Worth It?”
Questions flip the order. In a statement, the verb comes after the subject (“it is worth it”). In a yes-no question, the verb moves in front of the subject:
- “Is it worth it?” — the correct question form.
- “Is it worth trying?” — the same form with a gerund.
- “Was it worth the wait?” — the past-tense version.
- “Is it worth it to you?” — asking about someone else’s judgment.
Notice that the question still contains the verb. Dropping it gives “it worth it?”, which is just as incomplete as a question as it is as a statement. The same inversion rule drives other question forms, including the conditional patterns in if he was vs if he were: English questions and conditionals rearrange their verbs, but they never delete them.
“Worth Doing” — the Gerund Pattern
After worth, use a gerund — the -ing form of a verb — never an infinitive. This is one of the most common follow-on mistakes:
| Correct | Incorrect |
|---|---|
| It is worth trying. | It is worth to try. |
| The film is worth seeing. | The film is worth to see. |
| It is not worth worrying about. | It is not worth to worry about. |
The same rule covers the short forms. “Worth a try,” “worth a look,” and “worth the effort” all follow the same pattern with a noun instead of a gerund. And when worth takes a noun phrase, the meaning stays the same: “worth the money” (the price is justified), “worth your while” (useful or enjoyable despite the effort), “worth its weight in gold” (extremely useful).
“Worth It” vs “Worthwhile”: Not the Same Word
Worthwhile is a separate adjective meaning useful, important, or good enough to repay the time or effort spent. The two overlap but are not interchangeable:
- Worth it is a phrase: “The course was hard, but it was worth it.”
- Worthwhile is a single adjective, and it can go before a noun: “a worthwhile cause,” “a worthwhile career.”
- Worth cannot go before a noun. “A worth cause” is wrong; “a worthwhile cause” is right.
- After be, both work: “It was worthwhile” and “It was worth it” mean nearly the same thing, though worthwhile sounds slightly more formal.
One-letter traps like this are everywhere in English. If this one caught you, you may also want to check to fast or too fast and smooth vs smoothe, where a single letter changes everything.
“Not Worth It” and Better Ways to Say It
The negative form follows the same rule: negate the verb, not worth. “It is not worth it” (or “it isn’t worth it”) is correct. “It does not worth it” is wrong, because do-support only works with real verbs — and worth is not one. That do vs be confusion is exactly the point of due to or do to: picking the wrong helper verb breaks the sentence even when every other word is right.
When you want variety, or a softer or stronger tone, these alternatives all say “not worth it” in different words:
- Not worth the effort / time / trouble / hassle — names the cost: “It’s not worth the hassle of appealing.”
- Not worth the money — for prices: “At that price, it’s just not worth the money.”
- More trouble than it’s worth — the classic idiom: “Fixing that old laptop is more trouble than it’s worth.”
- A waste of time — blunter: “Arguing with him is a waste of time.”
- Pointless — strongest: “Complaining now would be pointless.”
- Not worth bothering with — casual: “That queue isn’t worth bothering with.”
Common Mistakes With “Worth It”
| Incorrect | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| It worth it. | It is worth it. | The sentence has no verb without “is.” |
| It worths it. | It is worth it. | Worth is not a verb, so it takes no -s. |
| It does not worth it. | It is not worth it. | Do-support needs a real verb; negate be instead. |
| It is worth to try. | It is worth trying. | Worth takes a gerund, not an infinitive. |
| These tickets is worth it. | These tickets are worth it. | The verb must agree with a plural subject. |
| A worth cause. | A worthwhile cause. | Worth cannot go before a noun; worthwhile can. |
| It worth it? | Is it worth it? | Questions move the verb before the subject; they never drop it. |
One consistency rule covers all of these: whenever you write worth, check that a form of be (or seem, or look) is standing right before it. If nothing is there, the sentence is unfinished.
FAQs About “It Worth It” and “It Is Worth It”
“it is worth” or “it worth it”?
“It is worth it” is correct. “It worth it” is missing its verb and is grammatically incomplete. In casual speech, use the contracted form “it’s worth it” — same meaning, same grammar, less formal.
Is it correct to say “is it worth it”?
Yes. “Is it worth it?” is the correct question form. English yes-no questions move the verb before the subject, so is comes first — but it is still there, which is the whole point. “It worth it?” without the verb is wrong.
How do you say it’s worth it?
The standard forms are “It’s worth it” and “It is worth it.” For emphasis, add an intensifier: “It’s well worth it,” “It’s definitely worth it,” or “It’s worth every penny.” For effort rather than money, say “It’s worth the effort” or “It’s worth your while.”
Does not worth it or is not worth it?
“Is not worth it” (or “isn’t worth it”) is correct. “Does not worth it” is wrong, because do-support only works with real verbs and worth is an adjective, not a verb. If you need do-support, attach it to a real verb instead: “It doesn’t seem worth it.”
better way to say “not worth it”?
It depends on the tone you want. “Not worth the effort” or “not worth the trouble” names the cost precisely; “more trouble than it’s worth” is the natural idiom; “a waste of time” is blunter; “pointless” is the strongest. In formal writing, “not worthwhile” works well: “The trip was not worthwhile.”
What does “is it worth it” mean?
It asks whether something’s reward justifies its cost — the money, time, effort, stress, or risk involved. “Is it worth it?” is a request for a judgment call, not a fact: the answer depends on what the speaker values.
another way to say it’s worth it?
Try “It’s well worth it,” “It’s worth every penny,” “It’s worth the effort,” “It’s worth your while,” or “It’s worthwhile.” Each shades the meaning slightly — money, effort, or general value — but all say the same basic thing: the payoff justifies the price.
What does “worth it” mean?
“Worth it” means the result justifies what was spent to get it. “The climb was hard, but the view was worth it” means the view repaid the climb. On its own, “worth it” is a fragment, not a sentence — it needs a verb (“it is worth it”) to stand alone.
What does it mean it’s not worth it?
“It’s not worth it” means the reward does not justify the cost: the price, effort, or risk is higher than what you would get back. It is usually advice to stop or not bother — “Don’t argue with him, it’s not worth it” means the argument would cost more peace of mind than it could ever win.
Conclusion
The whole confusion comes down to one missing word. Worth describes value; it does not act, so it cannot be the verb of a sentence. Add a form of be and everything falls into place: “it is worth it,” “it was worth it,” “is it worth it?” — and for the negative, “it is not worth it.” Remember the check that catches every version of this mistake: if no form of be stands before worth, the sentence is not finished yet.
