Involved IN, WITH or ON? Which is the correct preposition?

We can use both the prepositions “in” and “with” with the verb “to involve”. “Involved with” and “involved in” can sometimes mean the same thing and in some contexts are used differently. “Involved on” is not common in English.

We are all involved in this campaign.

She was involved with him from the start.

Involved In

“In” is the most common preposition that we use with “involve”. It is common to use in the context of processes or incidents.

She was involved in the car accident.

Acid is involved in the process of digestion.

“Involve in” often means that the subject is the main actor in the action. If we look at the first example above we can see the sentence”she was involved in the accident”. This usually implies that she was one of the drivers but should not be taken as fact.

Involved With

“Involved with” is more commonly used with people or organizations.

She has been involved with him for a few years.

She is involved with a charity that helps animals.

“Involved with” in the first example has the idea of a romantic relationship where there is no official status. This meaning is becoming less and less common though.

When I was young, my mother used to say “don’t get involved with those bad boys”. In this situation, it has more of a meaning of “don’t associate with those boys”.

In general “involved with” has less of a participatory role than “involve in” when they can be used interchangeably.

She was involved in the process. (she was central in the decision process)

She was involved with the process. (maybe she was only asked for her advice)

Involved On

“Involved on” is not common and is only used when we use “involve” and then we need the preposition “on” to connect to another noun.

Involved In or On a project?

We use “involved in a project” and not “involved on a project”. This is a common mistake because we often say “working on a project”.

Involved In or On the case?

We use “involved in the case” and not “involved on the case”. This is a common mistake because we often say “working on a case”.

Involve or To be Involved difference

Involve is the active voice form of the verb and “to be involved” is the passive voice.

Getting good grades involves a lot of work.

He was involved from the start.

For more about the passive voice, you can read my complete guide here.

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Conor

Conor is the main writer here at One Minute English and was an English teacher for 10 years. He is interested in helping people with their English skills and learning about using A.I tools at work.