Meaning & use
information about or on
Last updated
Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
Used to name the subject that a piece of information deals with, with about or on both acceptable.
Grammar: Both prepositions work; about is more common in everyday speech, on more common in written or formal contexts.
Patterns
- information about something
- information on something
- ask for information about something
- get information on something
I need some information about the train times before we leave.
She gave us useful information on how to apply for the scholarship.
There is a lot of information about healthy eating on that website.
phraseidiom
Used when choosing between about and on in a question or a piece of writing about which preposition fits best.
Grammar: Often written as a heading or search phrase; in a normal sentence you simply use one of the two prepositions.
Patterns
- information about or on something
- which is correct: information about or on
A student asked whether we say information about or on a topic.
In the style guide, the editor explains that information about or on are both fine.
Common combinations
- information about a topic
- The library has a whole shelf of information about local history.
- information on the website
- You can find information on the website about opening hours.
- ask for information about
- He called the office to ask for information about the job.
- provide information on
- The report provides information on how the money was spent.
- further information about
- For further information about the course, contact the department.
- detailed information on
- The guide contains detailed information on each of the museums.
Synonyms and how they differ
- details about
- Use details about when you mean small individual facts rather than general knowledge.
- facts on
- Facts on suggests hard, checkable points and is a little more informal than information on.
- material about
- Material about often refers to a larger body of text or resources, not a single piece of knowledge.
Word family
- inform verb
- to tell someone facts or news
- informative adjective
- giving a lot of useful facts
- informed adjective
- having enough knowledge about a subject
Commonly confused: information about or on or information of?
information about or on vs information of
Information of is not used to name a topic; say information about or information on instead. You may see of in fixed phrases like a piece of information of great value.
Practice
Which sentence uses the correct preposition after information?
Choose one answer.
On fits because it introduces the subject the information deals with, and about would also work here. Of, at and for do not introduce a topic after information in this way.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “information about or on”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.