Difference Between On and At

On and at are two prepositions that can indicate location and time. However, in general, at refers to a more specific time and place. When referring to time, on is used to talk about days and dates while at is used to talk about specific times. This is the key difference between on and at. You can see the difference in usage in the following examples.

The office is closed on Saturdays.

He came to see me at four o’clock in the morning.

There are also differences in usage when they refer locations; these differences in usage also will be explained here with examples to make the understanding easy.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What Does On Mean
3. What Does At Mean
4. Similarities Between On and At
5. Side by Side Comparison – On vs At in Tabular Form
6. Summary

What Does On Mean?

On is a preposition that can indicate a specific time as well as a location. When referring to time, we use on with dates. For example,

He went to Paris on Sunday.

The office is closed on Saturdays.

I usually visit the temple on my birthday.

When referring to a place, we use on with:

– a position on any surface

Her wallet is on the table.

She sat on the big double bed.

– a position along a road or river or by the sea or by a lake

Galle is a major city on the southern coast of Sri Lanka.

What Does At Mean?

At is a preposition that indicates a specific time as well as a specific place. We can use at with particular points on the clock as well as particular points in the day or week. For example,

They went to the cemetery at midnight.

What are you doing at the weekend?

When referring to a location, we use this preposition to:

– refer to a position or location which is seen as a point

He was sitting at my desk, when I entered the office.

– refer to locations at companies, workplaces (those seen as places of activities)

Do you know how many people work at Facebook, Inc.?

– to refer to an address

We once lived at number 12, South Chando Street.

Further, when compared to the preposition in, which also indicates time and location, at  indicates more specific times and locations.

What is the Similarity Between On and At?

• Both these prepositions indicate a specific location or specific time.

What is the Difference Between On and At?

Summary – On vs At

Although these two prepositions somewhat confusing, there is a distinct difference between on and at. Therefore, they cannot be used interchangeably. In general, at indicates a more specific time and location than on.

Reference:

1.“At, on and in (Place) – English Grammar Today – Cambridge Dictionary.” Cambridge English Dictionary. Available here 
2.VOA. “Are You In, On or At?” VOA, 12 Dec. 2015. Available here  

Image Courtesy:

1.’60032′ (CC0) via Pexels

2.’9352′ (CC0) via Pexels