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Why "on accident" is an unfortunate mistake

Reviewed and edited by

Lloyd Cooper 08/10/2024, 17:10

English.me team member

What kind of error is it?

On accident or by accident. What's correct?

It is a grammatical error in prepositional phrase usage.

Why do people make this mistake?

The phrase "on accident" likely arose by analogy with "on purpose," as both phrases are used to describe the manner in which something happened.

What is correct?

The correct phrase is "by accident," as "by" is the appropriate preposition to use with "accident" according to standard English usage.

Examples of correct usage

She spilled her drink by accident.
I left my umbrella at the restaurant by accident.
He called the wrong number by accident.

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