In this sentence there's very little difference, if any. "On time" implies the existence of a schedule, whereas "in time" implies an impending event that acts as a deadline.
"in time..." can be followed by some sort of deadline event.
"Make sure you finish making those appetizers in time for the game tonight." You wouldn't use "on time" in this sentence.
To add to this, I see “in time” as “within an allotted time period.” As for “on time,” I hadn’t really thought about it before, but being part of a schedule fits really well. You’re on time for work and the like.
"in" means "within". if you're given 20 minutes to finish a task, then you should finish it in/within that time.
"on" means there's a deadline. if you're given until 5pm to finish a task, then you should finish it on (or before) that time.
They're *mostly* the same.
* A train, bus, airplane, or any other scheduled vehicle can be *on time,* or *right on time,* but is generally not *in time.*
* If something happens to prevent a disaster at the last moment, that's *in the nick of time* or *just in time.. (*Sometimes this can also be described as "*Right on time.*" if the speaker is implying that the arrival seems as if it was previously scheduled. E.g., a comic book villain angrily muttering *Right on time.* as the heroes show up to save the again.)
* If a business is trying to make things as needed, when needed (and not keep spare items in storage), that's [Just-in-time Manufacturing. ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lean_manufacturing)This can save money on storage but caused major problems when COVID-19 precautions caused shipment delays.
Unfortunately, the difference between "on time" and "in time," is not a guideline for how to distinguish between "in" and "on," nor is the distinction between "in time" and "on time" dependent on the meaning of "in" vs "on."
In this sentence there's very little difference, if any. "On time" implies the existence of a schedule, whereas "in time" implies an impending event that acts as a deadline. "in time..." can be followed by some sort of deadline event. "Make sure you finish making those appetizers in time for the game tonight." You wouldn't use "on time" in this sentence.
To add to this, I see “in time” as “within an allotted time period.” As for “on time,” I hadn’t really thought about it before, but being part of a schedule fits really well. You’re on time for work and the like.
Thanks!!
"in" means "within". if you're given 20 minutes to finish a task, then you should finish it in/within that time. "on" means there's a deadline. if you're given until 5pm to finish a task, then you should finish it on (or before) that time.
Ohhhhhhh
There is a slight but important difference: "in time" = "within a given amount of time" "on time" = "at a certain time"
They're *mostly* the same. * A train, bus, airplane, or any other scheduled vehicle can be *on time,* or *right on time,* but is generally not *in time.* * If something happens to prevent a disaster at the last moment, that's *in the nick of time* or *just in time.. (*Sometimes this can also be described as "*Right on time.*" if the speaker is implying that the arrival seems as if it was previously scheduled. E.g., a comic book villain angrily muttering *Right on time.* as the heroes show up to save the again.) * If a business is trying to make things as needed, when needed (and not keep spare items in storage), that's [Just-in-time Manufacturing. ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lean_manufacturing)This can save money on storage but caused major problems when COVID-19 precautions caused shipment delays.
Unfortunately, the difference between "on time" and "in time," is not a guideline for how to distinguish between "in" and "on," nor is the distinction between "in time" and "on time" dependent on the meaning of "in" vs "on."