Home In On or Hone In On: Which Is Correct?

You may have heard people use hone in on to mean “moving directly toward a location or idea” in sentences like “They were honing in on the location” or “As they studied the problem more, they honed in on a solution.” However, in those sentences, “hone in on” should actually be “home in on.” The substitution of hone in on for home in on has become so prominent that Merriam-Webster now includes a definition for the phrasal verb hone in on but notes the following: “Although hone in on is widely used, many people regard it as an error for home in on.”  With that in mind, we recommend avoiding using hone in on, since it may be read as an error, particularly in an academic or professional setting. Instead, use home in on:

The group of pigeons homed in on the piece of bread as soon as it hit the ground.

Jane homed in on the reason for the decrease in sales.

The word hone should be used to mean “to improve something” or “to sharpen something with a whetstone,” like in the following:

The webinar helped Wendy hone her coding skills.

Alan honed the old kitchen knife before cutting the avocado.

Work Cited

“Hone in on, phrasal v.” Merriam Webster Unabridged, 2025, https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/collegiate/hone%20in%20on