On time means exactly as scheduled, at the arranged time; in time means early enough to do something or get somewhere before it is too late. The two are easy to mix up because both are about not being late. The train arrives on time, and you get to the station in time to buy a coffee.
in time or on time — can you pick the right one?
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arrive/leave/start + on time; in time + for + noun; in time + to + verb; just in time
- The train left on time, which almost never happens on this line.
- We got to the cinema just in time for the start of the film.
- I finished the essay in time to proofread it before the deadline.
What changed
First versionOur flight left in time, exactly as the schedule said.
RevisionOur flight left on time, exactly as the schedule said.
Here the flight left as scheduled, right on the minute, and that is on time. In time answers the question “were you early enough for something?”, and the sentence doesn't say what anyone needed to be early for. Hence the correction: in is replaced with on.
In time can also mean “eventually, gradually”: In time, you'll get used to the new city. There is no deadline here; time simply passes. On time is not used in this sense.
Your turn
Luckily, the firefighters arrived ___ to stop the fire from spreading to the next house.
Show the answer
in time — The firefighters arrived early enough to stop the fire spreading to the next house. That is in time, followed by to and a verb. On time is about a schedule, and a fire doesn't have one.
Think of a morning when you were rushing to work or to class. Say whether your bus or train arrived as scheduled and whether you got there early enough for what you had to do.
The train didn't arrive on time, but I still got to the office in time for the nine o'clock meeting.
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