English 
español 
française 
italiano 
deutsche 
日本語 
polski 
česky 
svenska 
Türkçe 
Nederlands 
Why "on accident" is an unfortunate mistake
Lloyd Cooper 08/10/2024, 17:10English.me team member
What kind of error is it?
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.
Recommended posts in 
Grammar
Why "in anyway" isn't the way
People mistakenly combine "any way" into "anyway" even when they ... Learn more →
Why "heared" is incorrect: a detailed explanation
People often make this error because in English, many verbs ... Learn more →
Why it's not a match: untangling the "lower then" error
People often confuse "then" and "than" because they are homophones, ... Learn more →
Why you shouldn't say "try do"
People often inadvertently omit the infinitive marker "to" when combining ... Learn more →