# on

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ɒn/ · frequency rank #13

## Definitions
1. In the state of being active, functioning or operating.
2. Happening; taking place; being or due to be put into action.
3. Happening; taking place; being or due to be put into action.
4. Fitted; covering or being worn.
5. Of a stated part of something, oriented towards the viewer or other specified direction.
6. Acceptable, appropriate.
7. Possible; capable of being successfully carried out.
8. Available; remaining.
9. Having reached a base as a runner and being positioned there, awaiting further action from a subsequent batter.
10. Within the half of the field on the same side as the batsman's legs; the left side for a right-handed batsman.
11. Of a ball, being the next in sequence to be potted, according to the rules of the game.
12. Acting in character.
13. Performative or funny in a wearying manner.
14. Menstruating.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *h₂en-der.
Proto-Germanic *an
Proto-West Germanic *ana
Old English on
Middle English on
English on
From Middle English on, from Old English on, an (“on, upon, onto, in, into”), from Proto-West Germanic *ana, from Proto-Germanic *ana (“on, at”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂en- (“on, onto”).
Cognates
Cognate with Yola a, an, ana, on (“on”), Saterland Frisian an (“on; at”), West Frisian oan (“on; to, towards”), Cimbrian aan, å (“on, onto”), Dutch aan (“on; at”), Low German an (“on; at, to”), German an (“at, in; on”), Luxembourgish un (“on; at, to”), Yiddish אָן (on, “on, onward”), Danish, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish å (“on”), Elfdalian ą̊ (“on”), Faroese and Icelandic á (“in; on”), Gothic 𐌰𐌽𐌰 (ana, “at, on”); also Umbrian 𐌀𐌌- (am-), 𐌀𐌍- (an-, “up, upon”), Ancient Greek ἀνά (aná, “on, upon”) (whence Greek ανά (aná, “by, through, per”)), Albanian në (“in; on”), Latvian no (“from; out of; for; of; with”), Lithuanian nuo (“from, off; for, of”), Belarusian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, and Ukrainian на (na, “on”), Czech, Polish, Slovak, and Slovene na (“on”), Serbo-Croatian на, na (“on”), Old Armenian ան- (an-, “at, on, unto”); and from Old Norse upp á: Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Swedish på (“on”), Norwegian Nynorsk paa, på (“on”), see upon.

## Easily confused with
- **or** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/on-vs-or)
- **op** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/on-vs-op)
- **OS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/on-vs-os)
- **oz** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/on-vs-oz)
- **OT** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/on-vs-ot)
- **ou** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/on-vs-ou)
- **ow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/on-vs-ow)
- **oo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/on-vs-oo)
- **ox** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/on-vs-ox)
- **oy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/on-vs-oy)
- **ov** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/on-vs-ov)
- **one** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/on-vs-one)
- **out** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/on-vs-out)
- **our** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/on-vs-our)
- **own** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/on-vs-own)
- **owe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/on-vs-owe)
- **ore** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/on-vs-ore)
- **opt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/on-vs-opt)
- **owl** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/on-vs-owl)
- **ops** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/on-vs-ops)

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/on