Commonly Confused Prepositions
Prepositions, which are words that show position, direction, time, or method (in, into, on, upon, at, by, to, toward, etc.), can have similar or overlapping meanings.
Preposition choice is based on both meaning and idiom, and can be dictated by setting (e.g., considerations of formality) or dialectal influences (e.g., differences in British and American usage). Below we discuss prepositions that are often confused in speech and writing, along with usage examples.
In, into, inside, or within?
In speaks of location, while into implies direction or movement.
- The cat is in the hat.
the cat’s location
- The cat jumped into the hat.
the cat’s movement from an outside location to inside the hat
- The cat jumped in the hat.
The cat was already in the hat, and then it jumped up, landing back within the hat.
We just used the words inside and within. How are they different from in? We use inside to say that something is enclosed. In can often replace inside in sentences, but note that inside has the narrower meaning of being enclosed within.
- There’s a mouse in/inside the box.
Both in and inside work here. Inside implies that the mouse is confined within the box.
- Maya lives in/
insideMadagascar.Since Maya isn’t enclosed within Madagascar, inside wouldn’t work here.
In can also connote a sense of time or abstract space, which inside usually does not.
- Lulu was lost in thought.
- Maya was born in the 1980s.
Within means to be inside something or be bounded by limits. This sense of being limited by boundaries (whether spatial or temporal) makes the word within slightly different in meaning from inside or in.
- Curfew has been imposed within the city.
- Poco said he would call back within an hour.
- I’ll do what I can, within the law, to help you.
In has a broader meaning than into, inside, and within, and can often replace these three prepositions in a pinch. Nevertheless, using different prepositions helps you provide nuance to your reader.
- Lulu is in the movie theater.
- Lulu went in/into the movie theater.
- The doors are locked, and Lulu is stuck in/inside the theater.
- The sound stays in/within the theater if you shut the doors.
Of course, in fixed expressions, such as phrasal verbs, you cannot simply replace one preposition with another that has a similar meaning.
- Poco will have to look into/
inthis. - I ran into/
inRita at the store. - You should hand in/
intothis report today.
In or during?
Use in to speak of a period of time within which an event occurred or a situation existed. Use during to express that a situation or state existed throughout a period of time.
- Poco was born in 1985.
- Rita likes to run in the morning.
- Tumkin will visit Thailand in March.
- It’s getting harder to stay warm during winter.
- Our bookstore is open during the day.
- Grocery stores will remain open during the second phase of the lockdown.
During has a narrower meaning than in. You may replace during with in to describe situations, but not always vice versa.
- Poco was born
during/in 1985.During would imply he was born throughout 1985! - Our bookstore is open during/in the day.
Either works fine, just that during carries the connotation of the store being open through the day.
For or since?
For and since are often confused. Use for to speak of a period of time; use since to refer to a point in time.
- Rita has lived on Mars for/
sincea decade.A decade is a period of time. Use for instead of since. - I’ve been trying to call you for/
sincethree days. - For/
Sincehow long have you been waiting? - Farley has been looking for his spectacles for/
sincea week. - Rita has lived on Mars
for/since 1999.The year 1999 is a point in time in the past. Use since, not for. - I’ve been trying to call you
for/since three o’clock. For/Since when have you been waiting?- Farley has been looking for his spectacles
for/since Monday.
Learner’s dictionaries, such as Merriam-Webster Learner’s Dictionary or Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, provide not only the definition of a word but also usage examples that can help you decide which preposition to use.
On, upon, or onto?
On and upon both mean the same thing. Upon is more formal and is more often used to speak of abstract things.
- We depend on/upon Anita for support.
- We’ve built our business on/upon a foundation of professional integrity.
Although on and upon are generally interchangeable, you can’t replace one with the other in phrasal verbs and other idiomatic usage.
- Once
on/upon a time . . . - Anita is kind but feels put
on/upon sometimes. - We were greeted by row
on/upon row of shimmering blue flowers. - We came
on/upon a strange sight in the woods. - Farley is on/
uponthe run. - You should put on/
upona sweater.
Onto, like into, implies movement.
- Rita is on the roof.
On tells us about Rita’s current position.
- Farley climbed onto the roof to escape the monster.
Onto describes Farley’s movement from somewhere lower below to up on the roof.
- All our spoons are on the floor.
- Poco threw all the spoons down onto the floor.
Over or above?
Above and over are interchangeable when used to mean that one thing is in a higher position than another thing.
- Branches swayed over/above us as we walked down the path.
- There is a dark cloud hanging over/above her head.
- A sign over/above the gate said, “No signs allowed.”
But when you want to talk about motion rather than position, use over instead of above.
- Motion: The cow jumped over/
abovethe moon.Use over to talk about the cow’s movement. - Position: The cow hovered over/above the moon.
To simply talk about the cow’s position, use either over or above.
To say that something is covering something else, use over, not above.
- Farley threw a cloth over/
abovethe table to hide the bloodstains. - Anita draped the shawl over/
aboveher shoulders and shivered.
Over and above are also used to mean more than. With money, time, and ages (which are thought of in terms of quantity rather than number), use over.
- A small apartment in this city now costs over a million dollars.
- It can take over two hours to fly to the Moon.
- Residents over 65 may apply for consideration.
With fixed points, use above.
- Temperatures have risen above zero for the first time in a century.
- The exosphere starts at 500 kilometers above the Earth’s surface.
Over or more than?
The over vs. more than argument has occupied more editorial time than it ever merited. Over and more than before a number or quantity are generally interchangeable: use what sounds natural.
- Farley has been waiting for the bus for over/more than two hours.
- Over/more than 50,000 voters voted today.
- Houses here can cost over/more than half a million dollars a year just to rent.
Some editors prefer to replace over with more than before numbers and quantities. However, major style manuals no longer recommend such revision. The Chicago Manual of Style says it’s perfectly fine (and idiomatic) to use over to mean more than. The AP Stylebook too revised its stance in 2014: it now accepts over as an alternative to more than (before numbers and quantities) in both speech and writing.
Under or less than?
Under faces the same prejudice as over. Nevertheless, when you mean that something is lower than a certain amount or age, under is a fine idiomatic alternative to less than.
- Women under 50 were not included in the study.
- You can get a good sewing machine online for under $225.
- Profits stayed under 3% through all four quarters of 2033.
Below, beneath, under, or underneath?
Under, below, underneath, and beneath all carry the sense of one thing being at a lower level than another thing. They are often interchangeable, but not always, and also have slight but meaningful differences in connotation.
To say that something is positioned at a lower level than another thing, below is more commonly used than under.
- You’ll find the encyclopedia below the atlas on the bookshelf.
- The cups are on a shelf below the glasses.
- Insert the graph below the table.
Also use below to speak of levels on a scale.
- Temperatures can fall below zero in winter.
- If the stock market falls below this line, you should sell.
However, when one thing covers another, use under instead of below.
- The cat lay curled up under the covers.
- Farley ran and hid under the bed.
- Are there fries under the lettuce?
- I left my phone under the pillow this morning.
Under also carries the sense of one thing being directly below another one.
- Farley lived in a little cupboard under the stairs.
- A river flows under the bridge.
In this sense of a thing being directly below, you can replace under with underneath. We also use the preposition underneath to say that one thing conceals another.
- All the transactions took place underneath the table.
- Underneath her calm exterior lies a desperate, ambitious young woman.
- A coat of fresh paint covered the rust stains underneath.
Beneath has the same meanings as below, under, and underneath, but is seen more often in formal writing or literary texts than in speech.
- I saw something move beneath the surface.
- Beneath the clock hung an empty picture frame.
- He worshipped the ground beneath her feet.
- Beneath his gruff exterior lies a heart of gold.
- What secrets lurk beneath the civilized surface of this pretty little village?
Off or of?
To say that something has moved away, is situated away, or has been removed from something else, use off, not of.
- Farley slipped and fell off/
ofthe roof.fell down from the roof - Maya lives in a little house off/
ofthe main street.situated in a place away from the main street - Poco ripped all the posters off/
ofthe wall in a fitoff/of rage.
The word of after off is generally redundant.
- Rita fell off
ofher motorcycle. - Maya likes to wander off
ofthe beaten track in her travels.
Beside or besides?
Beside and besides are just one letter apart but give all sorts of headaches to writers. When you want to say next to, use beside, not besides.
- Tumkin sat beside/
besidesme in class. - The cat sat on a rug beside/
besidesthe fire. - Beside/
besidesLulu, Rita feels tall and lanky.
Both beside and besides mean in addition to or apart from.
- We are considering other candidates beside/besides Poco.
- What more could you want beside/besides true love?
- I would never give this to anyone beside/besides you.
Many editors recommend using beside for next to and besides for in addition to or other than, to avoid ambiguity.
- Poor: There’s no one beside you.
No one next to you?Preferred: There’s no one besides you.Using besides instead of beside makes it clear that you mean “other than you” and not “next to you.”
Context usually makes the intended meaning clear, but be aware that some may consider this stylistic preference a grammar rule. In casual communication, either preposition can mean in addition to. In formal writing, prefer besides.
When you need an adverb, use besides. (An adverb modifies an adjective, verb, another adverb, or an entire sentence.)
- I have given this job my youth, and a lot more
beside/besides. - Maya has no time to join a choir.
Beside/Besides, she can’t sing.
For the sentence adverb (one that adds to the meaning of an entire sentence), be careful to use besides, not beside.
- Oh, I wasn’t busy.
Beside/Besides, it’s always nice to see you. - We can’t find Farley anywhere.
Beside/Besides, his phone is unreachable. - Oranges aren’t essential.
In the set phrase “beside oneself,” always use beside, not besides.
- Poco was beside/
besideshimself with rage. - Anita was beside/
besidesherself with worry about missing the deadline.
Round or around?
Both the prepositions round and around mean similar things and are generally interchangeable. Note that around is more common in American usage and in writing, and round in British English and in speech.
- The Earth goes around/round the Sun.
to move along a curved path
- Tumkin put his arms around/round Maya.
to encircle someone or something
- Misty hills around/round the lake add to its charm.
to surround something
When you mean approximately, use the adverb around, not round.
- There were
round/around 500 people in the room. - This table costs
round/around $2200.
To, toward, or towards?
Toward and towards mean the same thing. The only difference is that toward (without the s) is preferred in American English, and towards (with the s) in British English.
- Rita drove toward/towards the mountains.
- We are moving toward/towards finding a solution.
- One’s experiences dictate one’s attitude toward/towards change.
- Farley wants to contribute toward/towards making the world a better place.
Use to when you refer to a destination, and toward/towards for direction.
- Rita is flying to the Moon.
Rita’s destination is the Moon.
- Rita is flying toward the Moon.
Rita is flying in the direction of the Moon, but that may or may not be her destination.
- Tumkin is going to the gym.
His destination is the gym.
- Just keep driving toward the gym until you see a sign on the right.
Drive in the direction of the gym.
A standard dictionary will give you the meaning of a preposition and preferred usage (e.g., toward or towards). Learner’s dictionaries (like those by Merriam-Webster and Oxford) provide usage examples that can help you decide which preposition to use in a sentence.