On, At, or In the Second Floor? (Correct Preposition)

Imagine you’re meeting someone in a building, and you receive information to go to the second floor. What’s the correct preposition to use in that scenario?

Should we say “On the Second Floor”, “At the Second Floor”, or “In the Second Floor”? Let’s find out what’s the correct form!

On, At, or In the Second Floor?

When referring to a floor, the correct preposition is “On”, and we should say “On the Second Floor”. The prepositions “At” and “In” could be used in different instances, but not this one. Regardless of what is the number of the floor, always use the form “On the Floor”.

Take a look at the examples below:

• The food court is on the second floor.
• The food court is at the second floor. (incorrect)
• The food court is in the second floor. (incorrect)

The examples contain the same sentence, only shifting the prepositions in it. This way we can easily compare the prepositions “In”, At”, and “On”.

Only the preposition “On” can be used in connection to the word “Floor”. “On the Second Floor” is the grammatically correct, acceptable way to address someone’s presence on a floor (and any floor, for that matter).

On the Second Floor

“On” is the preposition we use to indicate something or an individual is on top of something, standing on a surface. That’s why we say “On” the floor and, consequently “On the Second Floor”. This is the only acceptable form in this situation.

Take a look at the examples below:

1. You’ll find Anthony’s office on the second floor.
2. I’ll be on the second floor, expecting your arrival.
3. The meeting will be held on the fourth floor, in the conference room.
4. There are too many offices on the fifth floor.
5. The vending machines are on the third floor, should you need anything.

At the Second Floor

“At the Second Floor” is an incorrect form. “At” is a preposition that indicates location, and shouldn’t be used as a synonym for “On”. People can be “At” a room, “At” a building”, etc, but never “At” a floor.

Take a look at some helpful examples below:

1. Anna will meet you at the second floor. (incorrect)
2. Anna will meet you on the second floor.

3. Your room will be at the seventh floor. (incorrect)
4. Your room will be on the seventh floor.

5. George will meet us at the front desk, on the third floor.
6. Meet me at the Town Hall building. I’ll be expecting you on the second floor.

Sentences 1 and 3 show “At the Second Floor” (and a variation of it) being incorrectly used. Those sentences are followed by a corrected version, with the proper preposition (which is “On”).

Sentences 5 and 6 show how “At” can be used correctly to indicate s location. In sentence 5, for example, we’re advised to meet George “At” the front desk, which is on the third floor.

In the Second Floor

“In the Second Floor” is another incorrect form to talk about people on floors. “In” is a preposition that indicates something or someone is inside a limited perimeter. It makes no sense in regards to a building floor. People can be “In” a room, for example. But never “In the Floor”.

Let’s take a look at some examples:

1. The meeting place will take place in the conference room, on the fifth floor.
2. Please meet me in room 212, on the second floor.

3. Meet me in my office in the second floor. (incorrect)
4. Meet me in my office on the second floor.

5. I lost my phone somewhere in the third floor. (incorrect)
6. I lost my phone somewhere on the third floor.

Sentences 1 and 2 show how “In” can be correctly applied to locations inside of a building.

Which Is Used the Most?

We often guess what the graph will show when we know which is the correct form. However, we remain curious to find out what the graph from Google Ngram Viewer below will show us. Will “On the Second Floor” be more used, or will it be “At the Second Floor”, or “In the Second Floor?

As expected, “On the Second Floor” is the predominantly used form. Considering it’s the only correct way to construct this phrase we’re happy to see that people all around are using the correct form to indicate their locations (or someone else’s).

“At the Second Floor” and “In the Second Floor” are even at the bottom of the graph. They are barely used, as they should be.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to talking about someone’s location on a floor, “On” is the only acceptable preposition. The correct form is “On the Second Floor”. “At the Second Floor” and “In the Second Floor” are grammatically incorrect and should be avoided. Always use only “On the Second Floor”.