Available TO, FOR, IN, ON or AT – Which is the correct preposition?

Resources, Vocabulary / By

When deciding on the correct preposition for “available” it is important to think about the following words and phrases after available. If it is a verb or it shows who can use the availability, then use “to”.If we are talking about time, then use in, on or at.

We use “in” when we are talking about longer periods of time like months and years. We use “on” when we talk about days and we use “at” when we talk about specific times of day like hours.

The word “available” means to not be occupied by something else or to be at your disposal.

The difference between “available for” and “available to” is that “ available to” shows who the availability is for and “available for” is why the subject can be used. Let’s look at some examples:

The museum is available to everyone.

The museum is available for educational purposes.   

Available To

We use “available to” when something is at someone’s disposal.

Examples:

The documents are available to you from our website.

The other option available to the police chief is to keep him in prison.

Available For

We often use “available for” to show why something is to be used. 

Examples:

The boat is available for taking up the river only.

The car is available for hire tomorrow.

Available In

We use the preposition “in” with available with longer periods of time.

Examples:

The boat is only available in summer.

The job position will be available in one year.

“In” can also be used with places.

Example:

Yoga is available in the park on Saturdays.

Available On

We use the preposition “in” with available with days.

Example:

I am available on Monday for the meeting.

We can also use “available on” for technology.

I am available on Zoom now.

Available At

We use the preposition “at” with available for specific times.

I am available at 4 0’clock.

Available For or To Purchase

Both “available to purchase” and “available for purchase” are correct.  The subtle difference that most people probably won’t notice is that “available to purchase” implies more of a meaning about the person who can buy the object and “available for purchase“ implies that the reason it is available is so that it can be sold. 

In reality there is no difference in meaning between  “available to purchase” and “available for purchase” 

Available For Sale or Sell

The correct way to show that something is available for a person to buy  is “available to buy”.Neither “available for sale” nor “available for sell” make sense. It is much easier to just say”for sale”.

Final thoughts

If you are struggling to know whether you should use “for” or “to” with “available”, then you are not alone. Use “to” when you want to think about the people who can use the object and “for” when the reason why the object can be used is more important to you.

Conor
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