257 English prepositions of place, time and more: A complete list

Author

Marco Monroy

English is a fascinatingly dynamic language, thanks in part to its extremely rich diversity of prepositions.

Really, even if you find it preposterous that prepositions would have such a profound impact on the English language, these small-yet-mighty words and phrases play an incredibly important role in everyday conversations. Think of them as the little nuts and bolts that help us string sentences together — keeping our conversations running smoothly and efficiently.

If they perform a crucial job for the language, they also perform a thankless one. That’s why you may be wondering what the English prepositions are, even if you’re a native English speaker. These words and phrases are so small that they’re easy to overlook, making it difficult for us to even realize when we’re using them.

However, they’re definitely easy to notice when someone uses the wrong preposition. For example, alarms would probably go off in your head if someone said, “I’ll see you at Monday.” You can probably tell that the preposition at is being used incorrectly here, but you might not know exactly why it’s not right. You just know it sounds off. This is what makes them so tricky.

In fact, prepositions are notoriously challenging to master, both for native and non-native speakers alike. Even advanced English speakers can toil to use the right prepositions at the right time, which is why we’ve compiled this guide with over 250 of them to help you use any preposition you’d like with ease and conviction.

With hundreds of prepositions to cover, let’s jump right into the definition of prepositions in English!


What are prepositions in grammar?

A preposition is a word or phrase that connects a noun or pronoun to the rest of the sentence. As implied by the pre in prepositions, they go before the noun they’re connecting. They can help us quickly explain how a noun is related to other people, objects, or actions in the sentence.

Most prepositions are single words. Also known as simple prepositions, some of the most common are:

  • At
  • On
  • In
  • By
  • For

Complex prepositions

In addition to simple prepositions, English also allows the use of complex prepositions. These are made up of two to four words and perform the same job as simple prepositions: explain the relationship between the noun and the rest of the sentence. Some of the most common complex prepositions in English are:

  • Away from
  • In addition to
  • On top of
  • Instead of
  • Up to


The most common English prepositions

Before we dive into the most complete list of prepositions, we should spend some time reviewing the most common ones. As you’ll see later on, English is a very generous language when it comes to using words as prepositions, resulting in several hundreds of preposition words and prepositional phrases that are used regularly. Yes, that’s several hundred excluding archaic prepositions!

Don’t worry, though, as most everyday conversations concentrate on a few dozen prepositions. With that in mind, we’ll cover some of the most common English prepositions in depth so you’re ready to approach everyday conversations with confidence. Afterward, we’ll provide you with the most complete list of prepositions you’ll ever find, so you can reference it in the future to find the best preposition for any situation.

Prepositions of place

A preposition of place indicates where something or someone is located. When placed before the noun or pronoun, they help us be specific about where a certain object or person is in relation to that noun. Without prepositions, we wouldn’t be able to tell if something is on the table, under the table, next to the table, near the table, etc. Here are some examples of prepositions of place:

I will meet you at the airport.

PrepositionUseExample sentence
InInside or encapsulated byThe shoes are in the box.
AtUsed to indicate a particular point or locationI will meet you at the airport.
OnIndicates location on the surface of somethingI left your backpack on the chair.
InsideWithin something elseCan you pass me the box that’s inside the bag?
OverAbove or beyond somethingThe house is just over the hill.
AboveHigher than something elseThe picture frame is on the shelf above the couch.
BelowLower than something elseThe sun has officially set — it’s finally below the horizon!
BeneathLower than something elseThe assistant general manager position is just beneath the regional manager!
UnderBelow something elseDid you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Boulevard?
UnderneathBelow something elseOur garage is underneath our house.
ByClose to or near somethingDid you go to the cupcake shop by the park?
NearClose byI went to the pizza place near campus.
Next toBesideWhat happened to the bike that was next to our car?
BetweenIn the middle of two thingsI don’t want to sit between two strangers on the plane!
AmongWithin a groupThere is an impostor among us.
OppositeDirectly acrossJenny’s house is opposite a massive mall.

Prepositions of time

Prepositions of time are used to help us tell when something is happening, for how long it’s happening, and more. If you notice that some of the prepositions here look strikingly similar to the prepositions of place, that’s because prepositions can serve multiple purposes at the same time!

After our month-long trip, I had to do laundry for hours.

PrepositionUseExample sentence
InUsed for months, years, centuries, and long periods of time.I’ll see you in twenty minutes!
AtUsed for precise times.We’re meeting at eight o’clock, right?
OnUsed for days and dates.My dad arrives on Sunday, but I’ll be there by Friday.
SinceUsed to describe the last time something happened.I haven’t seen Paula since ninth grade!
ForUsed when talking about how long an action was happening.After our month-long trip, I had to do laundry for hours!
ByUsed when talking about a deadline or a point in time by which another action will have already happened.I have to submit my essay by midnight.
DuringUsed to denote continuity during a period of time.She didn’t speak a word during the entire show.
From… toUsed to express time periods.I worked from sunrise to sundown yesterday.
From… untilUsed to express time periods.I’ll be in Lisbon from May until July.
WithinUsed to express time periods, taking the present as the initial period.If I don’t find some coffee within five minutes, I’m going back to sleep.

Prepositions of direction

Prepositions of direction help us define where a noun is going. Like prepositions of place, they help us relate a noun to another noun. However, these prepositions also include an aspect of motion, as they let us know where the noun is headed, where it’s coming from, etc.

They drove off into the horizon together.

PrepositionUseExample sentence
ToHeading from the first noun to the second nounThat plane is going to Paris.
TowardHeading from the first noun to the second nounWatch out, there’s a car coming toward us.
OnDescribes how the subject is movingHe’s coming on a train.
FromDescribes the origin or previous location of the subjectShe said she was coming home from work an hour ago.
IntoDescribes movement from outside the noun to inside the nounShe was placed into an advanced class.
AgainstDescribesWhose bike is that leaning up against the wall?
OffAway fromThey drove off into the horizon together.


The complete English prepositions list

Okay, now that you’re familiar with the different types of prepositions, let’s get into our full list of 257 prepositions! Don’t rush into memorizing all of them, though. Instead, bookmark this page so you can reference this table next time you can’t seem to find the right preposition.

PrepositionPronunciationIPA
aahə
à laah lahə ˈlɑ
aboardah-bordəˈbɔrd
aboutah-bautəˈbaʊt
aboveah-bovəˈbʌv
abreastah-brestəˈbɹɛst
abroadah-brodəˈbɹɔd
absentab-sentˈæbsənt
according toah-core-deeng tooəˈkɔrdɪŋ tu
acrossah-crossəˈkɹɔs
across fromah-cross froməˈkɹɔs ˈfɹʌm
adriftah-dreeftəˈdɹɪft
aftaftˈæft
afteraf-turˈæftɚ
afterwardaf-tur-wardˈæftɚwɚd
againstah-gehnstəˈɡɛnst
aheadah-hedəˈhɛd
ahead ofah-hed ofəˈhɛd əv
aloftah-loftəˈlɔft
alongah-longəˈlɔŋ
along withah-long weethəˈlɔŋ ˈwɪθ
alongsideah-long-saidəˈlɔŋˈsaɪd
amidah-meedəˈmɪd
amongah-mongəˈmʌŋ
antiahn-teeˈænti
apartah-partəˈpɑrt
apart fromah-part froməˈpɑrt ˈfɹʌm
aproposah-pro-pohˌæpɹəˈpoʊ
aroundah-raundɚˈɹaʊnd
asasəz
as foras forəz ˈfɔr
as fromas froməz ˈfɹʌm
as ofas ofəz əv
as peras purəz ˈpɝ
as regardsas ruh-gardsəz ɹɪˈɡɑrdz
as toas tooəz tu
as well asas well asəz ˈwɛl əz
ashoreah-shorəˈʃɔr
asideah-saidəˈsaɪd
aside fromah-said roməˈsaɪd ˈfɹʌm
aslantass-lantəˈslænt
astrideass-traidəˈstɹaɪd
atatət
atopah-topəˈtɑp
awayah-wayəˈweɪ
away fromah-way froməˈweɪ ˈfɹʌm
backbackˈbæk
back toback tooˈbæk tu
backwardsbackwardsˈbækwɚdz
barbarˈbɑr
barringbar-ringˈbɑrɪŋ
because ofbee-cos-ofbɪˈkɔz əv
beforebee-forbɪˈfɔr
beforehandbee-for-handbɪˈfɔrˌhænd
behindbee-hindbɪˈhaɪnd
belowbee-lowbɪˈloʊ
beneathbeh-neethbɪˈniθ
besidebeh-sidebɪˈsaɪd
besidesbeh-sidesbɪˈsaɪdz
betweenbeh-tweenbɪˈtwin
beyondbeh-yondbiˈɑnd
butbuhtˈbʌt
but forbuht forˈbʌt ˈfɔr
bybyeˈbaɪ
by means ofbye meens ofˈbaɪ ˈminz əv
chezshehˈʃeɪ
circaseer-cahˈsɝkə
close toclose tooˈkloʊz tu
comecuhmˈkʌm
concerningcohn-sehr-neengkənˈsɝnɪŋ
contracon-trahˈkɑntɹə
contrary tocon-trah-ree-tooˈkɑnˌtɹɛri tu
counter tocoun-tehr-tooˈkaʊntɚ tu
countingcoun-teengˈkaʊntɪŋ
cumcuhmˈkʊm
depending ondeh-pehn-deeng ohndɪˈpɛndɪŋ ˈɔn
despitedess-pitedɪˈspaɪt
downdaunˈdaʊn
downhilldaun-heelˌdaʊnˈhɪl
downstagedaun-stajˈdaʊnˈsteɪdʒ
downstairsdaun-stehrsˈdaʊnˈstɛrz
downstreamdaun-streemˈdaʊnˈstɹim
downwardsdaun-wardsˈdaʊnwɚdz
downwinddaun-weendˈdaʊnˈwɪnd
due todoo tooˈdu tu
duringdoo-reengˈdʊrɪŋ
easteestˈist
eastwardseest-wardsˈistwɚdz
effectiveeff-ec-teevɪˈfɛktɪv
ereehrˈɛr
exceptecks-ehptɪkˈsɛpt
except forecks-ehpt forɪkˈsɛpt ˈfɔr
exceptingecks-ehp-teengɪkˈsɛptɪŋ
excludingecks-cloo-deengɪkˈskludɪŋ
failingfay-leengˈfeɪlɪŋ
followingfo-low-eengˈfɑləwɪŋ
forforˈfɔr
forthforthˈfɔrθ
forwardfor-wardˈfɔrwɚd
forward offor-ward ofˈfɔrwɚd əv
fromfromˈfɹʌm
further tofoor-ther tooˈfɝðɚ tu
heavenwardheh-vehn-wardˈhɛvənwɚd
hencehensˈhɛns
henceforthhens-forthˈhɛnsˌfɔrθ
hereheerˈhɪr
herebyheer-byhɪrˈbaɪ
hereinheeh-reenhɪrˈɪn
hereofheer-ofhɪrˈʌv
heretoheer-toohɪrˈtu
herewithheer-withhɪrˈwɪθ
homehomˈhoʊm
homewardshom-wardsˈhoʊmwɚdz
ineenˈɪn
in addition toeen ah-dee-tee-ohn tooˈɪn əˈdɪʃən tu
in betweeneen bee-tweenˈɪn bɪˈtwin
in case ofeen case ofˈɪn ˈkeɪs əv
in face ofeen face ofˈɪn ˈfeɪs əv
in favor ofeen fay-vor ofˈɪn ˈfeɪvɚ əv
in front ofeen front ofˈɪn ˈfɹʌnt əv
in lieu ofeen luh ofˈɪn ˈlu əv
in spite ofeen spait ofˈɪn ˈspaɪt əv
in view ofeen viu ofˈɪn ˈvju əv
includingeen-cloo-deengɪnˈkludɪŋ
indoorseen-doorsˈɪnˈdɔrz
insideeen-saidɪnˈsaɪd
instead ofeen-stehd ofɪnˈstɛd əv
intoeen-tooˈɪntə
inwardseen-wardsˈɪnwɚdz
leftwardsleft-wardsˈlɛftwɚdz
lesslessˈlɛs
likelaikˈlaɪk
minusmai-nuhsˈmaɪnəs
modulomoh-doo-lohˈmɑdʒəˌloʊ
nearneerˈnɪr
near toneer tooˈnɪr tu
nextnextˈnɛkst
next tonext tooˈnɛkst tu
northnorthˈnɔrθ
northeastnorth-eestnɔrθˈist
northwestnorth-westnɔrθˈwɛst
notwithstandingnot-weeth-stan-deengˌnɑtwɪθˈstændɪŋ
nownauˈnaʊ
ofofəv
offshoreoff-shorˈɔfˈʃɔr
ononˈɔn
on account ofon ah-caunt ofˈɔn əˈkaʊnt əv
on behalf ofon bee-half ofˈɔn bɪˈhæf əv
on boardon boordˈɔn ˈbɔrd
on toon tooˈɔn tu
on top ofon top ofˈɔn ˈtɑp əv
ontoon-tooˈɔntə
onwardson-wardsˈɑnwɚdz
oppositeoh-poh-seetˈɑpəzət
opposite ofoh-poh-seet ofˈɑpəzət əv
opposite tooh-poh-seet tooˈɑpəzət tu
other thanoh-ther thanˈʌðɚ ˈðæn
outautˈaʊt
out fromaut fromˈaʊt ˈfɹʌm
out ofaut ofˈaʊt əv
outdoorsaut-dohrsˌaʊtˈdɔrz
outsideaut-saidˌaʊtˈsaɪd
outside ofaut-said ofˌaʊtˈsaɪd əv
outwardsaut-wardsˈaʊtwɚdz
overoh-vehrˈoʊvɚ
overboardoh-vehr-bohrdˈoʊvɚˌbɔrd
overheadoh-vehr-hehdˌoʊvɚˈhɛd
overlandoh-vehr-landˈoʊvɚˌlænd
overseasoh-vehr-seesˌoʊvɚˈsiz
owing toow-eeng-tooˈoʊɪŋ tu
pacepaysˈpeɪs
pastpastˈpæst
pendingpehn-deengˈpɛndɪŋ
perpurˈpɝ
pertaining topur-tay-neeng toopɚˈteɪnɪŋ tu
plusploosˈplʌs
postpohstˈpoʊst
prepreeˈpɹɪ
prior topry-or tooˈpɹaɪɚ tu
proproˈpɹoʊ
quakwaˈkwɑ
rerehˈɹeɪ
regardingreh-gar-deengɹɪˈɡɑrdɪŋ
regardless ofreh-gard-lessɹɪˈɡɑrdləs əv
respectingres-pec-teengɹɪˈspɛktɪŋ
rightwardsright-wardsˈɹaɪtwɚdz
round aboutraund ah-bautˈɹaʊnd əˈbaʊt
sanssansˈsænz
savesavˈseɪv
save forsav forˈseɪv ˈfɔr
savingsav-eengˈseɪvɪŋ
seawardssee-wardsˈsiwɚdz
shortshortˈʃɔrt
sinceseensˈsɪns
skywardsskai-wardsˈskaɪwɚdz
southsauthˈsaʊθ
southeastsauth-eestsaʊθˈist
southwardssauth-wardsˈsaʊθˌwɝdz
southwestsouth-westsaʊθˈwɛst
subsoobˈsʌb
thanthanˈðæn
thanks tothanks tooˈθæŋks tu
thenthenˈðɛn
thencethensˈðɛns
thenceforththens-forthˈðɛnsˌfɔrθ
theretherˈðɛr
therebyther-byeðɛrˈbaɪ
thereinther-eenðɛrˈɪn
thereofther-ofðɛrˈʌv
theretother-tooðɛrˈtu
therewithther-weethðɛrˈwɪð
throughthroohˈθɹu
throughoutthrooh-autθɹuˈaʊt
tillteelˈtɪl
timestaimsˈtaɪmz
totootu
togethertoo-geh-thertəˈɡɛðɚ
together withtoo-geh-ther weethtəˈɡɛðɚ ˈwɪθ
touchingtoh-cheengˈtʌtʃɪŋ
towardsto-wardsˈtoʊɚdz
underuhn-dehrˈʌndɚ
underfootuhn-dehr-footˌʌndɚˈfʊt
undergrounduhn-dehr-groundˈʌndɚˌɡɹaʊnd
underneathuhn-dehr-neethˌʌndɚˈniθ
unlikeuhn-laikˌʌnˈlaɪk
untiluhn-teelənˈtɪl
untouhn-tooˈʌntu
upupˈʌp
up againstup ah-gehnstˈʌp əˈɡɛnst
up toup tooˈʌp tu
up untilup uhn-teelˈʌp ənˈtɪl
uphillup-heelˈʌpˈhɪl
uponuh-pohnəˈpɔn
upstageup-staijˈʌpˈsteɪdʒ
upstairsup-stairsˌʌpˈstɛrz
upstreamuhp-streemˈʌpˈstɹim
upwardsuhp-wardsˈʌpwɚdz
upwinduhp-weendˈʌpˈwɪnd
versusver-soosˈvɝsəs
viavee-ahˈvaɪə
vicevaisˈvaɪs
vis-à-visvis-ah-veeˈvizəˈvi
wantingwan-teengˈwɑntɪŋ
westwestˈwɛst
westwardswest-wardsˈwɛstwɚdz
whenwehnˈwɛn
whencewensˈwɛns
wherewehrˈwɛr
wherebywehr-byewɛrˈbaɪ
whereinwehr-eenwɛrˈɪn
wheretowehr-tooˈwɛrˌtu
wherewithwehr-weethˈwɛrˌwɪð
withweethˈwɪθ
with reference toweeth reh-feh-rehns tooˈwɪθ ˈɹɛfɹəns tu
with regard toweeth ree-gard tooˈwɪθ ɹɪˈɡɑrd tu
withinwee-theenwɪˈðɪn
withoutwee-thautwɪˈðaʊt


Postpositions in English

Unlike other languages like French and Spanish, English uses postpositions as well as prepositions. These serve very similar purposes to prepositions, except that they are placed after the noun or pronoun, hence the post in postposition.

PostpositionUseExample sentence
AgoHelps establish the amount of time that has passed since the action took place.I met her ten years ago.
ApartTo separate two nouns.They’re best friends, they can never be apart.
AsideTo put the noun out of the way or out of focus.All jokes aside, you should really consider the offer.
AwayHelps establish the distance between two nouns.How can I be happy when my dog is one thousand miles away from me?
NotwithstandingUsed to establish that something happened despite another event happening as well.The wedding is going to carry on as usual, storm notwithstanding.
OnWhen used as a postposition, it indicates the amount of time or distance that has already passed.Five years on, she’s still keen on the keto diet.
OverWhen used as a postposition, this word means “all around.”This movie went #1 the world over.
ShortMissing or lacking.I think I might be a few dollars short.
ThroughIndicating that something persisted during a specific time period.She had a bad stomachache the whole week through.


English prepositions song

Using music to learn a new language is one of the most popular techniques all over the world, especially for kids. If you’re looking for a catchy prepositions song that will have your children or young students practicing their grammar while having fun, check out this awesome song!

In Front Of, Behind, Between | Prepositions Song for Kids

If you prefer something more suitable for adults and children alike, then check out the following song by The Bazillions. Its relaxing aura will be an excellent companion on your drive to work, as you sip your tea on a rainy afternoon, or even while doing dishes — all while practicing your English prepositions!

"Preposition" by The Bazillions


Enjoy learning the English prepositions

If you took one look at our list of 257 prepositions and tried to run for the hills — don’t panic too quickly! While there are several hundred prepositions in the English language, only a few dozen are used in everyday conversations. Focus on learning the prepositions we covered at the beginning of this article first, and you’ll be able to expertly navigate most conversations with no effort.

And if you really want to impress your peers, take your time making yourself comfortable with our ultimate table of English prepositions. There’s no need to rush here, but you might be able to sprinkle some fancy prepositions in your next college paper or business email to stand out!

And if you want to go the extra mile, why not review some of our other English articles? We can help you master 277 useful English abbreviations, the definite and indefinite articles, 1000 English adjectives, and more!