On line or online?
on line is a prepositional phrase meaning “In a queue; waiting one's turn for something”; online is an adjective meaning “Of a generator or power plant: connected to the grid”. Use on line as a prepositional phrase and online as an adjective. on line is written as two words and online as one word; they are used differently.
What is the difference between on line and online?
| on line | online | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | adjective, adverb, prepositional phrase | adjective, adverb, verb |
| Meaning | USIn a queue; waiting one's turn for something | Of a generator or power plant: connected to the grid Of a computer: actively connected to the Internet or to some other communications service While online; while in a running or active state, or connected to the Internet |
| Example | I'm waiting on line at the bakery | Is this modem online? |
| Pronunciation | not recorded | /ˈɒnlaɪn/ /ˈɔnlɑjn/ /ˈɑnlaɪn/ |
| In writing | not counted (the list counts single words) | 155 times per million words |
Sources: on line and online in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of on line and online
on line
- 1
datedDated form of online
- 2
datedDated form of online
- 3
USIn a queue; waiting one's turn for something
I'm waiting on line at the bakery
online
- 1
Of a generator or power plant: connected to the grid
- 2
While online; while in a running or active state, or connected to the Internet
He works online
- 3
To bring (a system, etc.) online; to promote to an active or running state
- 4
Of a computer: actively connected to the Internet or to some other communications service
Is this modem online?
- 5
Available over, or delivered from, the Internet
I prefer to read online newspapers
- 6
Connected to the Internet
I'll be online tonight, so I'll be able to reply to your email
- 7
Available on a computer system, even if not networked
Press the F1 key to access the online help
- 8
Of a system: active, particularly building facilities (such as power) or a factory or power plant
The power is online
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, on line or online?
on line is a phrase, which the list of single words does not count; online 155 times per million words.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How many people search on line vs online?
“on line vs online” is searched about 880 times a month on Google and 20 on Bing in the United States. Google counts close variants of a query together (“online vs on line”, “on line or online”).
Sources: Google Ads keyword data through DataForSEO and Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, the average month from September 2025 to August 2026.