In vs On vs At | Difference, Examples & Mistakes
The prepositions in, on, and at are easily confused because all three can refer to aspects of “place” (e.g., location and position) and “time” (e.g., time of day and date). The correct choice often depends on the specific context.
| In, on, or at in a sentence | Context |
|---|---|
| What are you doing on Saturday? | Time – day of the week/date |
| The project has to be finished in three days. | Time – how long something takes |
| We’re meeting at 3 p.m. | Time – specific time of day |
| Everything on the menu sounds delicious. | Place – page/poster/flier/menu |
| I wrote about that in my essay. | Place – book/letter/document/essay |
| What number do you live at? | Place – street address |
In, on, or at (time)
We normally use “in” to refer to periods of time, but “on” or “at” for specific points in time.
| In, on, and at in a sentence examples | Context |
|---|---|
| The next exam will be in March. | Period – during a week/month/year/century |
| All the yoga classes are in the afternoon. | Period – during a part of day |
| The appointment is at 11 a.m. | Point – specific time of day |
| The bills are sent at the beginning of every month. | Point – start/end of period |
| The exam results will be emailed on June 20. | Point – calendar date |
| I’ll get my exam result on Monday. | Point – day of the week |
However, this distinction can sometimes be subjective, as the difference between a period or point can depend on context and perception. It’s therefore easy (and natural) for learners of English to make errors with “in,” “on,” and “at” for time references. Particularly because how they translate into other languages will change depending on the context.
- The concert is on Wednesday. [“On” for days of the week]
- The concert is at Wednesday.
- Your appointment is on 3 March. [“On” for dates]
- Your appointment is at 3 March.
- My vacation is in August. [“In” for months]
- My vacation is on August.
- I prefer to study in the morning(s). [“In” for parts of the day]
- I prefer to study at the morning(s).
- The neighborhood is quiet at night. [“At night” means “generally during the night”]
- The neighborhood is quiet in night.
- I cried at the end of the film.
- I cried in the end of the film. [“In the end” means “finally” (i.e., after difficulties or a long time)]
- The weather is bad at the moment. [“At the moment” means “(around) now”]
- The weather is bad in the moment. [“In a moment” means “very soon”]
In, on, or at (place)
With locations and positions, we generally use “at” with things we consider to be points, “on” with surfaces, and “in” with enclosed three-dimensional areas.
I put the books on the shelf.
The cable wasn’t in the box.
But again, this is often more of a linguistic than a real-word distinction, so these prepositions of place are easy to mix up.
- I left my phone in the taxi. [Inside a car/taxi]
- I left my phone on the taxi. [“On” here means “on the roof of”]
- I left my phone on the bus. [Inside a bus/train/plane]
- I left my phone in the bus.
- She slipped while getting in the car. [Moving from outside to inside a car/taxi]
- She slipped while getting on the car. [“On” here means “on the roof of”]
- She slipped while getting on the train. [Moving from outside to inside a bus/train/plane]
- She slipped while getting in the train.
- I didn’t see you at the school play. [Event (e.g., party, concert, or conference)]
- I didn’t see you on the school play.
- I’ll put it on my to-do list. [List/agenda/menu/itinerary]
- I’ll put it in my to-do list.
- I’d like to work on a farm [Farm/ranch/campus/construction site/film set]
- I’d like to work in a farm.
For instance, people say “at the weekend” in the UK, but “on the weekend” in the US (although “over the weekend,” “for the weekend” and “this weekend” are also very common when talking about future plans in the US). And you play “in a team” in the UK, but “on a team” in the US.
Frequently asked questions about in vs on vs at
- Is it log in or log on?
-
The phrasal verbs log on and log in are interchangeable and mean to “connect to a computer system” (e.g., “The password didn’t work when I tried to log on to my online banking”).
The nouns log-on and log-in are also interchangeable and mean the details (e.g., username and password) that you need to access a system.
Log on (verb) and log-on (noun) are the most common variants in American English.
Knowing whether in vs on vs at is correct often depends on the specific context.
Use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you use these prepositions correctly in your writing.
- What’s the difference between in time and on time?
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If you are on time, you are not late or haven’t missed a deadline.
On time in a sentence examples I have to leave now if I want to be on time for my appointment.We have a reputation for completing projects on time.
My plane landed on time.
If you are in time, you are not too late for an event or not too late to do something (i.e., you still have the opportunity to do it, but you may be later than planned/arranged or have missed a deadline).
In time examples in a sentence If we leave right now, we’ll get there in time for the start of the film.The project will be completed in time for Christmas.
We got to the boarding gate just in time; they were about to close.
Knowing whether in vs on vs at is correct often depends on the specific context.
Use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you use these prepositions correctly in your writing.
- Is it interested in or on?
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In (not “on”) is the correct preposition to use with the adjective “interested” (e.g., “My daughter is very interested in dinosaurs”).
Knowing whether in vs on vs at is correct often depends on the specific context.
Use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you use these prepositions correctly in your writing.
- Is it in bed or on bed?
-
If you say someone is “in bed” it means they are sleeping or resting in their bed or have not got out of their bed to start their day (e.g., “It’s time to get up. You can’t stay in bed all day!”).
We say “on the bed,” “on her bed” etc. to indicate the location of something placed above the bed covering (e.g., “I left your washing on your bed,” “Please don’t sit on my bed with your shoes on.”
Knowing whether in vs on vs at is correct often depends on the specific context.
QuillBot’s free Paraphraser can help you rewrite sentences to ensure you’re using prepositions correctly in your writing.
