It's said that or It said that?

Question

what are the differences between using " It's said that" vs "It said that" ?

Answer 1

"The frog said 'croak'?"

"Yep, it said that."

"It's said that frogs go 'croak'."

"Yes, that is what is said."

"It said that" is a complete sentence, implying that whatever "it" is said the thing referred to by "that". The sequence may also be part of a sentence: "It said that the store was closed" means that when the speaker read the sign on the store, he saw that it said "STORE CLOSED".

"It's said that" is not a complete sentence, but it's the beginning of a sentence that reflects a "saying", myth, or some "common knowledge" (keeping in mind that "it's" is the same as "it is"). Eg, "It is said that the Green Garbage Monster only appears on Tuesdays when the Moon is full."

Answer 2

I'm guessing that you are really asking about which formation properly captures the sound people make when they utter the sound "itsaidthat," as in "It's said that roses are red..." If that's your question, then the correct answer is always "It's said that" ... or "It is said that."

@Mick is clever in concocting a scenario where "It said that" actually makes sense. Why doe it not make sense normally? Because "it" does not apply to humans; and because saying is something that only humans do. All this presupposes a general theory of humans and language ... only scenarios such as Mick's will capture those odd cases, where having an "it" speaking language makes sense. Science fiction will be another place where you can find such uses of "it."

But again, if your concern is based mostly on the sound of the phrase, you should always spell it as the contraction "it's."