On the Wheel or At the Wheel? What is the difference?  

Vocabulary / By

If you are trying to decide which word phrase to use, the correct version of this phrase is ‘at the wheel’. While ‘on the wheel’ would also be grammatically correct, the second phrase gets much less use throughout the English language. 

Continue reading on to learn more about what this phrase means when to use each, and examples of both phrases used in a sentence.

On or At

The English word “on” is used to specify dates and times. It can also be used to refer to any position on a surface. The word “on” is also used to indicate a more specific location than the word “in”.

“At”, on the other hand, is used to talk about a more specific time. It also refers to a location that is a point. Work, school, and home are all point locations that can be used after the word “at”. Whereas “on” is more specific than “in”, “at” is more specific than “on”.

Read more about the prepositions On, At,  and In here. 

On the Wheel

While “on the wheel” is a phrase that is used on its own in the English language, given the correct sentence structure the phrase can become grammatically correct. In this phrase, “on” signifies something being located “on top of the wheel”. Here are a few examples of how to use “on the wheel” correctly in a sentence.

  • The hamster was running on the wheel in his cage all night.
  • Be careful, there is a cat lying on the wheel of the car.
  • Your tire is flat because there was a nail on the wheel.

At the Wheel

Most of the time when someone uses the phrase “at the wheel,” they are referring to their or someone or something else’s physical location in proximity to a wheel. This phrase is used much more often than “on the wheel”. Here are a few examples of how to use “at the wheel” properly in a sentence.

  • I was sitting at the wheel when the car stopped working.
  • I am looking at the wheel but do not see where the nail is in the tire.
  • He is at the wheel of the truck and is ready to leave soon.

When to Use

The written and spoken English language can be a tricky one to grasp sometimes, however, a simple trick can determine if you should use “on” or “at”. If you are referring to something that you can stand “on top of” then you can use “on the wheel”. However, if you are talking about a location other than something you can physically be on top of, you would use the word “at”. When talking about someone driving, you should say “at the wheel”.

 

Conor
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