‘Hone in’ vs. ‘Home in’: When to Use ‘Hone in’ or ‘Home in’

“Home in” and “hone in” are both two-word phrasal verbs that describe narrowing in on a target. Both are common in twentieth-century English usage, with the phrase “home in” being quite prominent in British English and “hone in” equally popular in Canadian and American English.

Both “home” and “hone” appear in English language guidebooks like Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage, The American Heritage Dictionary, and the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). In the nineteenth century and early twentieth century, “home in” was generally considered the grammatically correct word phrase, but dictionaries evolve as language changes. Today, dictionaries acknowledge “hone in” and “home in” as synonyms, although some—like The American Heritage Dictionary—encourage the use of “home in.”

“Home in” means to "focus attention" or "close in on a target." Its etymology traces to homing pigeons, which are trained to return to the same location after a flight. The phrase took on figurative use in the English language in the nineteenth century and expanded in the twentieth century with the advent of military missiles that home in on their targets with great accuracy.

The following examples show the proper usage of “home in” in the English language.

• We are homing in on a suspect in the crime.
• The president’s advisors urged him to home in on a singular campaign theme.
• The hunter homed in on her target and let her arrow fly.

The verb “hone” means "to perfect" or "to sharpen." “Hone in” became a common alteration of “home in” during the twentieth century. The phrasal verb is particularly common in the United States, where it appears in major dictionaries and prominent newspapers like the New York Times. Grammarians believe the phrase may have begun as an eggcorn of “home in.” An eggcorn is a word or phrase that derives from a mispronunciation of a prior word or phrase.

The following examples show the proper usage of “hone in” in the English language.

• I want to garner more feedback so we can hone in on a company policy.
• The market is competitive, but we are slowly honing in on a new apartment.
• The chef honed in on the perfect recipe for seafood velouté.

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