Question
24 January
- Spanish (Spain)
-
English (US)
Question about English (US)
What is the difference between On purpose and On accident and by accident ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
What is the difference between On purpose and On accident and by accident ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
Answers
When you "disagree" with an answer
The owner of it will not be notified.
Only the user who asked this question will see who disagreed with this answer.
Read more comments
- English (US)
“I didn’t mean to throw it on purpose.” “I hit him by accident!” “It was on accident!” The traditional phrase is by accident. It means without intention or because of chance instead of effort or purpose.
On accident is a variation found almost exclusively inside the United States. It is grammatically on par with the phrase on purpose. One can either do something on purpose or on accident. Outside that particular comparison, this version is much less popular than by accident, with the latter being eight times more common.
- Spanish (Spain)
@evaheihallo so on purpose = on accident?
- Spanish (Spain)
@evaheihallo okay thanks for clarifying that
- English (US)
@domybarahona no they do not mean the same thing. On accident" (meaning "accidentally") does seem to be an unusual usage that frequently appears in opposition to the much more idiomatic "on purpose" (meaning "purposefully").
- English (US)
@domybarahona so I reposted the answer I just had to add something but no problem
[News] Hey you! The one learning a language!
Do you know how to improve your language skills❓ All you have to do is have your writing corrected by a native speaker!
With HiNative, you can have your writing corrected by native speakers for free ✍️✨.
With HiNative, you can have your writing corrected by native speakers for free ✍️✨.
Sign up
Newest Questions
- What is the difference between grocery shopping and shopping at supermarket ?
- What is the difference between advertising and advertisement ?
- What is the difference between Gal and Girl ?
- What is the difference between barf and vomit ?
- What is the difference between enthusiastic and keen ?
Topic Questions
- What is the difference between trip and journey ?
- What is the difference between I have arrived and I have just arrived ?
- What is the difference between It seems like and It feels/sounds like ?
- What is the difference between to dream of and to dream about ?
- What is the difference between puke and throw up ?
Recommended Questions
What’s this symbol?
The Language Level symbol shows a user's proficiency in the languages they're interested in. Setting your Language Level helps other users provide you with answers that aren't too complex or too simple.
-
Beginner
Has difficulty understanding even short answers in this language.
-
Beginner-Intermediate
Can ask simple questions and can understand simple answers.
-
Intermediate
Can ask all types of general questions and can understand longer answers.
-
Advanced
Can understand long, complex answers.
Sign up for premium, and you can play other user's audio/video answers.
Tired of searching? HiNative can help you find that answer you're looking for.
