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Into vs. In To

How does one know when to use into or in to?

One of the main uses of the preposition into is to indicate movement toward the inside of a place.

Examples
The children jumped into the lake for a swim.
Mom drove the car into the garage.

In to is the adverb in followed by the preposition to.

Examples:
He turned his paper in to the teacher.
The administrators wouldn’t give in to the demands of the protesters.

We will explore into vs. in to in more depth in a future blog.

Pop Quiz

  1. As a child, I was too afraid to go into/in to the Halloween haunted house.
  2. I’m going to turn the wallet I found into/in to the police.
  3. If your battery is running low, you’ll need to plug your power cord into/in to the socket.

Answers

  1. into
  2. in to
  3. into

Posted on Saturday, July 18th, 2009 at 10:02 pm


212 Comments

212 Responses to “Into vs. In To”

  1. Tom Miller says:

    Thanks for these daily tips. They are very helpful.
    I would love to see a tip on use/used ….I use/used to be a student at Indiana State University.
    Thanks again,
    Tom Miller

  2. Jane says:

    The correct word in this situation will always be “used to.”

  3. Ray says:

    Dive into fun or dive in to fun?

  4. jessica says:

    blends in to or blends into?

    • Jane says:

      Great question! You would say, “After years of fame, she hopes now to blend in with the crowd.” However, this next example comes from The Chicago Manual of Style in its discussion of copyright laws: In the case of online publishing, reproduction and distribution blend into the act of transmitting the work on demand to the reader’s computer. So it seems that blend in with and blend into are the common expressions.

  5. Billy says:

    Log into/in to a computer?

  6. Billy says:

    Figured it out.

    Log into a computer. If there is a verb associated with the to then you use in to. For example:
    He went in to run an errand vs. he went into the store to run an errand

    • Jane says:

      You have a good idea but it doesn’t really apply here. The real question to ask is, “Is there actual entrance?” If so, use “into.” What makes your question so intriguing is that it is debatable whether there is entrance when logging in. I would say “no.” Also, the expression is “log in,” not “log into”; therefore, use “log in to.”

  7. Brina says:

    I’m into or in to sports? (As in, I enjoy sports)

  8. Becky Cudo says:

    get back into or in to the workforce

    • Jane says:

      I think you could argue for either form in this case. “Into” implies entrance, which one could say is meant figuratively here, even if not literally.

  9. Micaela says:

    Climb into bed???

  10. Jay says:

    The caterpillar turned into/in to a butterfly? Thanks!

  11. Dean says:

    Great differentiations. How about…”Enter the final number into the last column of the spreadsheet.” Although a column is bounded on two sides, I would propose that it is better to use “in” in this case. However, because a cell (or field) of a spreadsheet is more specifically bounded on four sides, the use of “into” would be more appropriate if the sentence read, “Enter the final number into cell C-4 of the spreadsheet.” What is your opinion, Jane?

    • Jane says:

      I agree that “Enter the final number into cell C-4 of the spreadsheet” is better because 1. the cell is bounded on four sides, as you say and 2. it answers the question “where?” However, I would also use “into” in your first example, “Enter the final number into the last column of the spreadsheet” because it is still answering where the number should be placed. In addition, it is more common to hear of entering numbers into things. Example: I entered my birth date into the box provided.

  12. Judy says:

    You grant us the right to insert the logo in to your ad.
    or
    You grant us the right to insert the logo into your ad.

    • Jane says:

      “You grant us the right to insert the logo into your ad.” However, because you have already said “insert,” “into” is a bit redundant. You may want to write, “You grant us the right to insert the logo in your ad.”

  13. Tim says:

    I will look in to/into the options you have suggested.

  14. Jessica says:

    Do your kids define cleaning their room as shoving everything into/in the closet?

  15. Abby says:

    Turn this into/in to a family event?

  16. Colleen says:

    Tune into channel 4 or Tune in to channel 4?

  17. Peg says:

    This fall I will be going in to my second year of high school or into my second year of high school. If I opt not to rewrite the sentence, which of the two would be appropriate?

  18. Dorothy says:

    Your name will be entered in/into a raffle for a fun prize. I’m thinking “into”, am I right?

  19. Jo says:

    It was good to run in to/into you yesterday?

    • Jane says:

      Either “run in to” or “run into” would be correct; however, I would use “run in to” since you don’t literally mean “collide.”

  20. Wes says:

    He was always one to lean into/in to a fight (as in, he has an aggressive personality)

  21. Kathryn says:

    Leap into/in to Science?

  22. Margie says:

    Get into or in to college?

  23. Nicole says:

    an artistic glance into/in to the chilling pits…

    I can’t tell which to use. Can you help?

  24. Nicole says:

    it is transformed into/ in to a situation mirroring the…

  25. Sahil Malhotra says:

    The result is that venture firms are putting much less money in/into technology startups than in the past?

  26. Courteney says:

    The agreement goes into/in to effect on October 1st and will remain in effect for one year.

  27. Matt says:

    Controversy has followed Britney Spears since she shimmied her way into/in to pop culture as a provocative schoolgirl over a decade ago.

  28. Toni says:

    …will be incorporated in/in to/into the proposal

  29. Allison says:

    Teachers fall in to/in to one of three groups.

  30. Susan says:

    When is it preferable to use in to? From all that I’ve read here, it seems as though into is always correct. Is that true?

    • Jane says:

      No, sometimes “in to” is the only correct answer.
      Examples:
      He turned his paper in to the teacher.
      The administrators wouldn’t give in to the demands of the protesters.

  31. Susan says:

    Thanks so much for clarifying this for me.

  32. Jim says:

    My favorite is when crooks turn themselves into police.

  33. Jim says:

    If I edit to what-I’d-consider-over-hyphenation, it would look like this:
    Sometimes I long for the-return-of-hyphenation.
    I fantasize
    “Crooks turn-themselves-in to police.”
    as being correct.
    Over-hyphenation, maybe, but I appreciate the-singularitization-which-can-be-brought-about-by-the-use-of-hyphens.
    Lynn Truss’s chapter-title “A Little Used Punctuation Mark” is self-illuminating.
    I will not be holding-my-breath!

  34. Jim says:

    Yes. Actually, that is kindly-put. Thank you.

    • Jane says:

      You’re welcome; however, kindly put should not be hyphenated here because it does not act as a single expression in front of a noun.
      For example: a kindly-put response

  35. Jim says:

    Wow. Of course, you are right! Thanks!

  36. Stephanie says:

    When did you take it into/ in to work?

  37. Kelly says:

    “We have settled in to our new house” or “We have settled into our new house”

  38. Nancy says:

    Additional expense would only come in to/into play of there were more co-defendants.

  39. Dawn says:

    plug into the power of prayer?

    • Jane says:

      Yes, “plug into the power of prayer” is similar to Pop Quiz question #3, “If your battery is running low, you’ll need to plug your power cord into the socket.”

  40. Bailee says:

    Governor Brownback settles into/in to Topeka?

  41. Mesa says:

    What about putting something into/in to words?
    Like, “Yeah I have this great idea but I don’t know how to put it into/in to words?” or something

  42. Eugene says:

    “The document was simplified to fit into 2 pages.” or could I simply say “The document was simplified to fit 2 pages.”

  43. Helen says:

    Hi Jane, what about: disappearing into the dark recess vs. disappearing in to the dark recess? Or should it be: disappearing within the dark recess? Perhaps you could advise me. Thanks!

  44. Laura says:

    She carefully smoothed and tamed the unruly hair into the usual neat and tidy bun.

  45. Kevin says:

    What ingredients go in to/into the cake?

    I could rewrite it “what ingredients go in the cake” so shouldn’t it be “in to”?

    Can you expound upon your basic rule of locations being “into”. Do we also use “into” if the action is a combining, blending or becoming of something else like your example from July 2010 regarding the caterpillar turning into a butterfly?

    Using the police and crooks example from November 2010…
    “crooks turn themselves into police” would be correct if they were coming from different directions and physically turned and bumped into one another or if the criminal became a law enforcement officer. I understand that. “The caterpillar turned into a butterfly”? The caterpillar is crawling along and bumps into a butterfly? The caterpillar becomes a butterfly makes sense but it’s not a location so if you could just clarify.

    Thanks.

    • Jane says:

      What ingredients go into the cake?
      Locations with “into” suggest movement from the outside to the inside, such as the car moving into the garage.
      “Into” can take on various meanings. In the butterfly example, it shows a change of state.

  46. Antonia says:

    Hi Jane. What about Break in to / Break into? Technically a person is gaining entrance when they break in. But at the same time the verb is “to break in” not “to break” right? Thanks for your help.

    • Jane says:

      “Break into” would be correct. In this case, the verb “break,” when used in this way, does mean enter, rather than smash or separate into pieces.

  47. Jason says:

    We’re five weeks into/in to the new year.

    Thanks! :-)

  48. Laurie says:

    tricked him in to signing the paper or tricked him into signing the paper?

  49. Brandon says:

    He’s just not that into you?

  50. Jill says:

    Worth looking into/in to?

  51. Sunshine says:

    To me, it seems like if you can say your sentence without the object – it works with just “in”. But, if it doesn’t sound right or make sense without the object – it should be “into”.

    When did you take it in…to work — YES
    Teachers fall in…to one of three groups. — NO
    My favorite is when crooks turn themselves in…to police. — YES
    Do your kids define cleaning their room as shoving everything in…to the closet? — NO

    I’m sure someone might find fault in my logic or there might be an instance in which this doesn’t apply, but it seems to help me (again, in most instances).

    • Jane says:

      That is great if you are able to make the distinction that way. Your method may not work for everyone, however. What “sounds right” to one person might not “sound right” to another. It would be wonderful if there was a universal shortcut that worked for everyone!

  52. Ken S. says:

    Plug in to/into the cloud? This is the headline to a tech magazine I got in the mail. I think “in to” but my friend says “into.”

  53. Bill says:

    “I’m too tired to recount the unpleasantries one-by-one” or “one by one”? Thank you so much.

  54. Brenna says:

    I was hoping not to get into/in to this (situation)?

  55. Rudi says:

    In biological classfication we say genera are grouped in to families and families are grouped in to orders. Or should it be into?

  56. Tom says:

    that’s something I’d be in to/into?

  57. Dennis says:

    Walking into a wall I blackout, waking in to a word of wonder.

  58. Janet says:

    I require the information to download onto my computer

  59. Phil says:

    Regarding “I’m really into/in to sports,” I think we could extrapolate this example to any situation where into/in to is used to convey interest in something. If “into” is the preferred form, it becomes ambiguous when we’re talking about interest in something that you can also literally also go into.

    Example: I’m really into cars.
    Even worse: He’s been into Sarah lately.

    Seems like “in to” might be a better choice?

    • Jane says:

      I can understand why there is so much confusion. The word “into” has several different meanings. Not all indicate actual entry. One of the meanings of the word is “involved with or interested in.” That is the case with the examples you gave.

  60. Olivia Oxendine says:

    What about the use of in vs. into in the following sentence?

    I would like to incorporate a flower (in or into) the oil painting.

    Thanks,
    Libby

  61. Erik says:

    These are GREAT examples of when to use “into” and “in to” . Thank you very much for your input.

  62. Elle O. says:

    Jane,
    Check in to a hotel or check into a hotel? Since “check in” is an expression like
    “Tune in” (from above), I lean towards “check in to…” but “check into…” makes sense, too.

  63. Emily says:

    Are these correct?

    I have noted the true thought, attention and care that they put into each patient encounter.

    Putting all that I am into everything I do…

    Thanks :)

  64. Christi says:

    I got into Las Vegas late last night/ I got in to Las Vegas late last night

  65. Vicki says:

    The patient came into the office today for a consultation or The patient came in to the office today for a consultation.

  66. Holly says:

    I will not get into/in to a vehicle with strangers. ??
    Thanks

  67. Lynne says:

    She leaned in to him/She leaned into him?

  68. Robin Sullivan says:

    “Yes you are,” Aaron replied, separating the pieces into/in to piles.

  69. Vi says:

    I was turning into my driveway. Or he turned into the parking lot.

    I’m not sure if it should be into, which is correct, I think, or if it should be in to for clarity.

    • Jane says:

      Using the interpretation that one of the main uses of the preposition into is to indicate movement toward the “inside” of a place, the sentences would be: I was turning into my driveway. He turned into the parking lot.

  70. Laurie says:

    I will look into it or I will look in to it

  71. Lauren says:

    I was booked into our local hospital/ I was booked in to our local hospital?

  72. jawa says:

    “The Awkward Moment Wen U Wake Up In The Morning n See Ur Phone Into Pieces” is this a correct usage ? ? ?

    • Jane says:

      I am assuming that this is purposely written in a “text message” style. The phrase is not grammatically correct as it is not a complete sentence, so I am assuming it would be used as a headline or title. If so, the correct wording would be “The Awkward Moment When You Wake Up in the Morning and See Your Phone Is in Pieces.”

  73. Rique says:

    Don’t give in to temptation

    or

    Don’t give into temptation

    Which is correct?

    Thanks

  74. Cheryl says:

    find the area you can plug in to, or find the area you can plug into?

  75. Maria says:

    What about: I poured countless hours in to the creation of my portfolio.

  76. Deborah says:

    WAWA is the perfect start into low-risk surgery.

    or

    in to low-risk surgery?

  77. Joshua says:

    “Step into these shoes and step in to fashion.” Correct?

  78. Dorie Morgan says:

    pulled into the Taco Bell parking lot or in to?

  79. Jessica says:

    into “big-kid” underwear or in to “big-kid” underwear?

  80. Pam says:

    This is referring to a voicemail service.

    It’s actually a service that they call in to?

  81. fusun says:

    Please throw the toilet paper into/in to the basket.

  82. Ashley says:

    incorporate the policy values in to my response letter or to incorporate the policy values into my response letter?

  83. Mark says:

    The cost could reach well into/in to the billions of dollars?

    Gut says into….

  84. Julie says:

    …time-and-money-saving features built right into it/time-and-money-saving features built right in to it.

  85. Rachel says:

    Wonderful site. Thank you.
    Here’s one. What about turn data into/in to insight? My guess is “in to” because I can’t “enter” into insight. Am I correct?

    • Jane says:

      “Turn data into insight” would be correct, since you are not actually turning data in. In this case “into” indicates movement or direction rather than entry.

  86. LD says:

    Hi Jane! Two questions….

    I’m not sure if I understood this correctly…You mention above that it is not correct to use “log into” since the expression is “log in” so we should therefore use “Log In To”…but later you say to use “plug into” but isn’t the expression “Plug in” so shouldn’t that also be “Plug In To”?

    Secondly, why would we say, “He’s just not that into you.” when obviously we are not talking about him going inside or becoming ‘you’?

    Thanks for the help!

    • Jane says:

      If you were to say, “I need to plug in to charge my phone” (or do another task), then you would use “plug in.” Otherwise you would use “plug into” (something). Regarding “He’s just not that into you,” in this case the word “into” means “involved with or interested in.” It does not indicate actual entry or movement.

  87. Todd says:

    Is there a difference in usage when discussing hobbies?

    For example:

    I’m into sports.
    I’m in to playing sports.

    • Jane says:

      The correct usage would be “I’m into sports” or “I’m into playing sports.” In both cases, the word “into” means “involved with or interested in.”

  88. Cathy says:

    (There’s or there is) no longer a need to sort documents (in to or into) two categories which will be a more efficient process.

    • Jane says:

      “There is no longer a need to sort documents into two categories which will be a more efficient process,” is correct. In formal writing it is recommended that contractions such as there’s should be avoided.

  89. Peggy says:

    How about the use of “into” with “only”?

    Where should I place the qualifier “only” when trying to distinguish between when a record should be entered into the Red file, but not into the Red file AND the Green file?

    Would one use
    “A record should be entered only into the Red file in the following situations”
    or
    “A record should be entered into only the Red file in the following situation”?

    (It should definitely NOT be “A record should be entered into the Red file in the following situations only” or “only the following situations” because we are not qualifying the situation, we are qualifying the file.)

    Thanks!

    • Jane says:

      The word “only” is commonly misplaced in sentences. “Only” should emphasize the word or phrase that immediately follows it. Since you want to emphasize the red file, “A record should be entered into only the red file in the following situations,” would be better.

  90. Margaret says:

    Question: Was it a direct hit to your mouth or was it a specific side of your mouth? Answer: Straight into my mouth. I’m thinking into because it wasn’t inside of his mouth but to the inside corner of his mouth. Is this correct?

  91. Mel says:

    I appreciate the effort you put into/in to the recommendation?

  92. Lisa says:

    What about the following:

    a. They braved their way into/in to nursing.
    b. They couldn’t be talked into/in to touring the mansions
    c. They were wrong to goad the into/in to war.
    e. They caved into/in to using the old musket.
    f. They tried to incense her into/in to saying something against her will.
    g. They could coax the devil into/in to shedding his evil ways.
    h. They recruited the townsfolk into/in to taking sides.
    i. They motivated them into/in to putting up a good fight.
    j. They had to wean them into/in to the sound of a gun.
    k. They were shamed into/in to deserting.
    l. They chimed into/in to help him sing the remaining hymn
    m. They baited him into/in to giving up his secret.
    n. They gave into/in to signing up the petition.
    o. They couldn’t be duped into/in to changing their minds.

    • Jane says:

      In to is correct for sentences l and n. The others would use into. In sentence n, the word up is an extra preposition and is not needed in the sentence

  93. Jill says:

    He will be sworn into the Washington Bar. Or, He will be sworn in to the Washington Bar?

  94. ryan dunne says:

    Pity we’re not really into/in to imbeciles?

    • Jane says:

      Although this appears to be either a serious insult or a marginally distasteful sarcastic remark, I will say that the correct usage would be into.

  95. Marla says:

    Earlier, you posted that the correct way to use in to/into in the following sentence was this: She is into sports. I am confused, however because that sentence does not anwer the question “where.” It’s WHAT does she enjoy? So wouldn’t it be “She is in to sports?”

    • Jane says:

      in this case, the word into means “involved with or interested in.” When you are speaking of a hobby or interest, you would say that they are “into” it.

  96. Christina says:

    Thanks for providing guidance on so many questions regarding this issue — I’ve found this list very helpful.

    I have a question about your response to Lisa’s list of statements from 10/24/2011.

    You said that “into” was appropriate in all of her sentences except for one. I’m wondering about sentence ‘n’: They gave into / in to signing up the petition.

    Are you recommending “into” because the phrasal verb “give into” is distinct from “give in”?

    • Jane says:

      These into vs. in to situations can be tricky. Upon reconsideration, I believe that sentence n should use in to. However, the preposition up should be removed from the sentence so that it reads, “They gave in to signing the petition.” The response to Lisa’s question has been adjusted.

  97. Emily says:

    What about “You will never fit into/in to this family.”

  98. Leslie says:

    Bring a pair of shoes to change into. -or- Bring a pair of shoes to change in to.

  99. mj says:

    All age groups will be broken down into divisions. (into or in to?)

  100. Bhupender says:

    The policeman prevented us from entering in/into the hall. or just The policeman prevented us from entering the hall.

  101. Jessica says:

    Our new house is so big that we have plenty of room to grow into/in to.

  102. Scott says:

    How about this one:

    Consent to Enter Into Settlement Agreement, or

    Consent to Enter In To Settlement Agreement

    (Both refer to the name of a document)

    No matter how many time I look at this I get confused.

  103. Nixon says:

    I just tuned into/in to NPR.

  104. Amanda says:

    What about “She is looking in to/into joining a gym.”
    Thanks!

  105. jean says:

    I am glad someone had the time to go 100 pages back in to my blog.

  106. Fran says:

    The 5-year-old boy was brought into/in to the walk-in clinic by his grandmother. ?

  107. Bill says:

    Party A enters into/in to a contract for services?
    Other agreements Party B would enter into/in to are for similar services?

    Thanks.

  108. Matt says:

    “brings into being” or “brings in to being”?

    eg.
    “It is a poem in which the author brings in to being the counter-intuitive argument that better people make the world a worse place.”

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