"At The End" Vs "in The End" Explained With Examples

“At the end” vs “in the end” explained with examples

by Phil Williams | Jul 27, 2013 | Definitions, Grammar, Prepositions | 62 comments

What’s the difference between the following example sentences?

• At the end of the day we went home. In the end, it was a long day.
• At the end of the game, our team won. In the end, our team won.
• We were happy in the end. We weren’t happy at the end of the movie.
• The heroes won in the end. The heroes celebrated at the end of their journey.

If the uses of these phrases aren’t clear yet, keep reading – they’ll make perfect sense in the end, as it’s explained at the end of this introduction. You’ll also find some handy tips for mastering the difference between at and in in general.

What’s the difference between ‘at the end’ and ‘in the end’?

Simply put, at the end refers to a specific time or location, whilst in the end is an idiomatic phrase that means in conclusion or in summary. However, the difference between at the end and in the end shows one of the main differences between use of the prepositions at and in.

Consider these examples:

• We ate at the dinner table. but We ate in the dining room.

At in allthese examples refers to a specific time or location; in refers to being inside a general area. At the end is used to point to the end as a specific point in time, whilst in the end is used, more idiomatically, to talk about a general “end” zone: the summary or conclusion.

This could be demonstrated in a diagram. If we were talking about a film: 

At the end of the day, in the end…

At the end of the day and In the end, can both be used idiomatically to mean ‘in conclusion’. But At the end, and In the end of the day, are both incorrect – because the rules that make them different (above), also tell you how to form the idioms:

• At the end of the day, I was tired.
• In the end, I was tired.

These sentences could be taken literally (meaning exactly what it says) or figuratively (using the general idiomatic meaning). If you are unsure about how to apply the prepositions, even in idioms, thinking about the grammatical use of the words can help you decide. If you have any questions, please ask in the comments, and if you found this useful, please share it!

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62 Comments

1. Didier Dakoury on January 1, 2020 at 19:00

   Thank you very much. I was in trouble but now it’s okay for I got the point. Very useful.

   Reply
   • Phil Williams on January 8, 2020 at 15:36

     Glad it helped!

     Reply
     • Rodolfo on September 24, 2020 at 08:49

       The best explanation I have read. Thank you very much.

       Reply
       • Phil Williams on September 25, 2020 at 16:37

         Glad it helped, thank you!

         Reply
       • nafiseh on June 7, 2021 at 21:26

         you explaned so simple and comprehensible. thank you

         Reply
       • Renata Cristina Oliveira Braga on October 11, 2021 at 20:11

         My words also, perfect !!!

         Reply
         • Phil Williams on October 13, 2021 at 11:11

           Thank you!

     • Danar on July 22, 2021 at 17:53

       Is it necessary to use(of) after (at the end)?

       Reply
       • Phil Williams on July 27, 2021 at 10:25

         Hi Danar, sorry for the slow response – yes, if you’re connecting it to something then it is “at the end of [something]”. The exception would be if the [something] is understood but not stated, for example when we use “at the end” following an already understood ending: “We ran around the complete race course. There was a finish line at the end.” (to be understood as “at the end of the race course”).

         Reply
     • Oto on June 9, 2022 at 10:07

       Hi, is better to say in or at the end of the book? I would say “at” as it refers to a specific point. Thank you!

       Reply
       • Phil Williams on June 15, 2022 at 21:59

         If you’re referring to the broader themes, for example talking about how a story resolves, ‘in the end’ would be appropriate, but if you want to identify a location in the book, such as where information can be found, then ‘at the end’ would be appropriate.

         Reply
   • Nooshin on January 21, 2020 at 07:20

     Perfectly explained!! Thank you!

     Reply
     • Phil Williams on January 21, 2020 at 09:45

       You’re welcome!

       Reply
   • Haruna Isah on June 18, 2020 at 11:19

     I’m not an English native speaker and I did not study English, but I write exciting stories in English. Presently, I want to learn how to speak casual English the way native speakers do.

     Reply
     • Phil Williams on June 21, 2020 at 07:14

       Hi Haruna, honestly the best way to learn native English for writing would be to read as much as possible. This is true for native speakers too! Reading books in all areas greatly expands writing skills.

       Reply
       • Axl klaus on May 5, 2021 at 15:45

         hello sir, thank you for the explanations I am glad I now knew what the differences are of these two, anyways can I ask what books to read if you wanna learn deep English words, coz I’m having fun learning them

         Reply
         • Phil Williams on May 7, 2021 at 14:23

           Hi Axl, I’m not really aware of the best books specifically for vocabulary building but what I would typically recommend would be to find non-specific books that you enjoy which you can read and pick up new words from (also certain newspapers are good for this). But other than that I would say merely read as much as possible and make note of the new words you learn!

           For a specific grammar book that goes into some details like this, though, Swan’s Practical English Usage is good.

   • Ivk on May 5, 2021 at 09:49

     Hi, can you help me, I know at the end is for location and period but in my sentence I have used in the end. Is it that much wrong. “9 books for the time being. I’m excited to see the result in the end of the year.”

     Reply
     • Phil Williams on May 7, 2021 at 14:21

       Hi, In this case, no, “in the end” would not be appropriate – “at the end of the year” would be more appropriate as it refers to a point of time.

       Reply
   • Peter Adigwu on August 9, 2021 at 13:41

     At last they qualified for the football tournament.

     Will the synonym of At last be : At the end or Finally

     Reply
     • Phil Williams on August 9, 2021 at 14:01

       Hi Peter, “at last” would be synonymous with “Finally”, so “In the end” would also be appropriate.

       Reply
2. Iurii on January 24, 2020 at 21:37

   Thanks for this reminder! 😉

   Reply
3. santhakumary. on March 12, 2020 at 01:53

   Thanks,your explanation helped to clear the doubt.

   Reply
   • Phil Williams on March 12, 2020 at 08:37

     You’re welcome!

     Reply
4. Lola da Silva on May 16, 2020 at 15:29

   Muito obrigada! Thank you very much!

   Reply
   • Phil Williams on May 18, 2020 at 11:47

     You’re welcome!

     Reply
5. Chu on June 25, 2020 at 09:48

   Can we use ‘at the end or in the end’ with present tense.

   Reply
   • Phil Williams on June 25, 2020 at 10:04

     Hi Chu, yes you technically could – with ‘in the end’, as it can simply be emphatic. For a present event it would probably refer to a past time, e.g.

     Jim said he would do the dishes, but in the end here I am doing them.

     Of for timeless/rule-based sentences:

     I try to stay awake during long movies, but always fall asleep in the end.

     ‘At the end’ doesn’t really work with present rules or temporary events as it refers to a specific time.

     Reply
6. jenny on August 6, 2020 at 08:48

   which will suit the below sentence..” in the end” or “at the end”.

   Please find the queries given in/at the end of the document. Kindly let me know which is the correct usage in the above sentence

   Reply
   • Phil Williams on August 7, 2020 at 11:51

     Hi Jenny, ‘at the end’ would be appropriate here, as you are defining a specific position.

     Reply
     • jenny on August 8, 2020 at 05:59

       Thanks for reply.

       Reply
7. Christophe Schouwey on August 25, 2020 at 07:47

   Finally, I understand. TY. My guess is that finally and at last mean the same thing. When something happens at the end of a process where we have been growing impatient, we say finally or at last.

   Reply
   • Phil Williams on August 26, 2020 at 15:29

     Hi Christophe, yes that is a correct understanding.

     Reply
8. IloveEnglish on December 21, 2020 at 11:52

   Thank you very much for your instructions and continuous support by sending english lessons into my e-mail. New year is coming soon, best wishes for a happy and successful new year Mr. Phil Williams.

   Reply
   • Phil Williams on December 21, 2020 at 14:32

     You’re welcome, thanks for saying so, and best wishes to you too! Phil

     Reply
9. Priskilla on January 14, 2021 at 08:34

   In the end I found good explanation! Thank you!

   Reply
   • Phil Williams on January 14, 2021 at 16:25

     You’re welcome!

     Reply
10. Zainab on January 18, 2021 at 17:12

    Thank you Phil, very useful !

    Reply
    • Phil Williams on January 20, 2021 at 16:27

      You’re welcome!

      Reply
11. Nick on February 17, 2021 at 11:09

    There is a tendency to use prepositions in the real world without giving much thought. I was brought up using specific words I later found to be incorrect. Colloquial is not academic, so that is why grammar sites such as yours come in handy. However, American English is different. Americans will say “in school” whilst we say “at school” or “On the weekend” instead of “At the weekend. Nowadays you can get both even in the British language. This is probably because of the global distribution of American series and films on TV. Thanks for clarifying this issue. I’m sure international students will find this extremely helpful.Thanks for posting.

    Reply
    • Phil Williams on February 18, 2021 at 14:17

      Yes you’re absolutely right – natural use of prepositions is often done without much thought into it and the “at the weekend”/”on the weekend” is a great example of how language shifts between different regions. And definitely, American English and Americanisms are quite common in the UK thanks to media exposure, but British English is not necessarily as well understood in America.

      Reply
12. nickrobinson2021 on February 18, 2021 at 22:15

    Thank you for taking the time to answer my comment. You offer a vast amount of useful grammar and writing tips. I stumbled on your webpage quite by chance, but by joe, I’m so glad I found it. 🙂 Will visit regularly and invite friends. Good job!

    Reply
    • Phil Williams on February 22, 2021 at 15:31

      You’re welcome, I’m always happy to be of help!

      Reply
13. Javier Lifa on February 23, 2021 at 13:31

    Masterfully explained in a few words!

    Reply
    • Phil Williams on February 23, 2021 at 15:41

      Thanks!

      Reply
14. Asya on March 13, 2021 at 13:01

    Very clear . Thank you so much ! I was struggling with this for quite a long time ,but you made it clear for me with your explanation. While I was reading the replies and comments , I came across the phrase “ read books in all areas” and asked myself whether it could be said “ books of all areas” or “ books from all areas”. Prepositions always confuse me. Can you explain this for me, please. I would appreciate it very much. Be blessed!

    Reply
    • Phil Williams on March 15, 2021 at 09:27

      Hi Asya, You’re welcome. Yes, prepositions like this can be tricky, and it can depend somewhat on regional use. For your example, in some cases there would be little difference between reading books “in all areas” and “from all areas”; both meaning to cover a range of topics (though “from” might also be used to suggest a particular origin, depending on context). “of all areas” I think would be less common, as “of” would more comfortably fit with types, “books of all types/subjects”. You might also use “on”, such as “books on all subjects”!

      I hope this helps.

      Phil

      Reply
      • Asya on May 7, 2021 at 22:21

        Thanks for your time to explain it to me , Phil ! I appreciate it very much !

        Reply
        • Phil Williams on May 8, 2021 at 08:33

          You’re welcome!

          Reply
15. Louis on March 17, 2021 at 10:58

    Thank you Phil, finally someone who put the away the confusion away.

    Reply
    • Phil Williams on March 17, 2021 at 11:03

      You’re welcome, I’m glad it helped!

      Reply
16. Nwanyioma Ibeji Abarikwu on September 30, 2021 at 22:30

    Very useful tip. Thanks, please. At the end of the piece, I got what I needed.

    Reply
17. Mary on October 31, 2021 at 18:38

    What a perfect explanation! I’ll never forget it 🙂

    Reply
    • Ibrahim serry on June 6, 2022 at 23:17

      I am delighted to get this straight today

      Reply
18. ggs on April 18, 2022 at 21:22

    In the end, I finally learned how NOT to use in the end incorrectly all the time

    Reply
19. Ibrahim serry on June 6, 2022 at 23:15

    This is really helpful. Thank you

    Reply
20. M. Yahya on October 12, 2022 at 09:44

    This has helped me alot. Thank you so much.

    Reply
    • Phil Williams on October 12, 2022 at 14:50

      You’re welcome!

      Reply
21. Sandi on April 18, 2023 at 05:04

    Can you tell me if you can end a sentence with the word, this. If I wrote, “My face would not look like this.” Referring to a picture.

    Reply
    • Phil Williams on April 18, 2023 at 13:32

      Yes, that’s fine. Though generally speaking we can end sentences with most types of words depending on the circumstances (even prepositions; the rules that say you shouldn’t aren’t really helpful).

      Reply
22. Nelson on July 24, 2023 at 02:30

    Which of this is correct? In the end, life would be good At the end life will be good

    Reply
    • Phil Williams on July 26, 2023 at 14:32

      This would need more context really. If you let me know which you think is correct, or the confusion with the difference, I can help you with the reasoning.

      Reply

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