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One often debated grammar conundrum is whether home in or hone in is correct.
The answer, surprisingly, is both, but using hone in will often cause raised eyebrows. Keep reading to find out why. Stick around for the mini quiz at the end of this blog post to test your knowledge!
What Does Home In On Mean?
According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, to home in on is a phrasal verb that means to find and move directly toward someone or something. For example, homing pigeons home in on their destination and missiles home in on their target.
The word home itself is also a verb meaning to go or return home. Although it is not often used in this manner.
Examples of home in on:
The sniper was just about to home in on his target when his phone rang.
The pigeon was homing in on its destination when it got shot down.
Another related question is is home in hyphenated? No, it isn’t.
What Does Hone In Mean?
To hone means to sharpen or make more acute.
How do you use hone in a sentence?
Examples of hone:
You need to hone your climbing skills if you want to attempt Kilimanjaro.
She honed her skills as a dog groomer.
The basketball player spent hours honing his dunking skills.
So what does it mean to hone in on? To say hone in is often seen as a mistake, but it is, in fact, listed in the dictionary. According to Merriam-Webster, to hone in means to move toward or focus attention on an objective.
Can You Say Hone In?
Although it is becoming more and more acceptable, especially in US English, it is often seen as a mistake to say hone in or hone in on. Use it at your peril.
One trick to figuring out which one to use is to determine whether you need to use the phrase in on. If you do, then the word you’re looking for is most likely home. If not, then you probably need to use hone.
Use Zero In Instead
So what is another word for hone in if you shouldn’t say that? If you think you won’t remember the difference between home in on and hone, you can use zero in instead.
To zero in on something means to direct all of your attention on something or someone or to aim something directly at something or someone.
Example of zero in on: Through the binoculars, she zeroed in on her target: her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend.
Other synonyms of home in on and hone in on include focus on, fixate on, obsess over, and concentrate on.
Grammar Posts
Different From vs. Different Than
Home In or Hone In Quiz
Choose the correct word in each sentence. You can find the answers at the bottom of this blog post.
- The pigeon homed in/honed in on its destination with laser focus.
- You need to home/hone your knowledge of just about everything if you want to be a quizmaster.
- The kid with the BB gun homed in/honed in on the baby bird sitting in its nest.
- The story really homes in/hones in on the difference between right and wrong.
- The comedian homed/honed his comic timing until he was accepted into the most prestigious comedy festival.
Final Thoughts on Home In vs. Hone In
So there you have it. Hone in on is gaining acceptance, but if you want to avoid people thinking you’ve made a mistake, it might be better to continue to differentiate between them.
Want to Brush Up on Your Grammar?
If you’d like to improve your grammar so that you can become a better writer or proofreader, one resource I highly recommend is Grammar Lion. This in-depth course will help you brush up on your grammar through its useful examples and fun quizzes.
Commas tripping you up? Take this free comma course to refresh your knowledge.
Check out my review of Grammar Lion here.
Home In or Hone In Quiz Answers
- The pigeon homed in on its destination with laser focus.
- You need to hone your knowledge of just about everything if you want to be a quizmaster.
- The kid with the BB gun homed in on the baby bird sitting in its nest.
- The story really hones in on the difference between right and wrong. (Yes, I included this one to confuse you! According to Merriam-Webster, this usage is correct because it means to focus attention on something, but if you want to avoid confusion, use zero in on.)
- The comedian honed his comic timing until he was accepted into the most prestigious comedy festival.
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How to Use an Apostrophe (and Mistakes You Need to Avoid)
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Colon vs. Semicolon: When and How to Use Them
How to Use Quotation Marks (and the Difference between Single Quotes vs. Double Quotes)
