# Wear earrings on/in one's ears.



## Sandrin_Curandera

Which preposition is right?

We wear earrings in our ears.
We wear earrings on our ears.


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## reno33

We wear earrings on our ears.


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## Andygc

We wear earrings on our ears. 
We wear earrings in our ears. 

Well, I don't, but my wife and daughters do. I suppose having or not having pierced ears might make a difference.


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## Sandrin_Curandera

reno33 said:


> We wear earrings on our ears.





Andygc said:


> We wear earrings on our ears.
> We wear earrings in our ears.
> 
> Well, I don't, but my wife and daughters do. I suppose having or not having pierced ears might make a difference.



So, the both prepositions are possible? If we mean the pierced ears we should write "in one's ears" and if the earringns are fastened by a clip they are "on one's ears"?


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## Roxxxannne

Sandrin_Curandera said:


> So, the both prepositions are possible? If we mean the pierced ears we should write "in one's ears" and if the earringns are fastened by a clip they are "on one's ears"?


Yes.


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## Sandrin_Curandera

Thanks to all!


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## kentix

I have actually never heard anyone say that. I just hear people talk about wearing earrings. Everyone knows where *ear*rings are worn.

I do hear women talk about taking their earrings off or removing their earring(s) - perhaps to make a phone call.


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## Sandrin_Curandera

kentix said:


> I have actually never heard anyone say that. I just hear people talk about wearing earrings. Everyone knows where *ear*rings are worn.
> 
> I do hear women talk about taking their earrings off or removing their earring(s) - perhaps to make a phone call.



It makes sense when you write a question for a crossword, for example: an ornament you wear on/in your ears. I need your answers for this purpose.


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## tunaafi

I have heard only 'in' in BrE.


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## london calling

Sandrin_Curandera said:


> So, the both prepositions are possible? If we mean the pierced ears we should write "in one's ears" and if the earringns are fastened by a clip they are "on one's ears"?


Yes. My ears are pierced so I wear them* in* my ears. My mother's aren't so she wears them *on* her ears.

That said, why specify that? Where else would you wear an earring?


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## Roxxxannne

london calling said:


> Yes. My ears are pierced so I wear them* in* my ears. My mother's aren't so she wears them *on* her ears.
> 
> That said, why specify that? Where else would you wear an earring?


In your nose.
Yes, I know it would then be a nose ring, but many pieces of jewelry that one wears in one's nose are actually sold as earrings.


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## london calling

I don't call those earrings. They're piercings.


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## kentix

Sandrin_Curandera said:


> It makes sense when you write a question for a crossword, for example: an ornament you wear on/in your ears. I need your answers for this purpose.


For that purpose it's tough. "In" in regards to ears can mean in the ear canal. "He had earbuds in his ears."


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## london calling

But earbuds aren't an ornament.


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## Roxxxannne

london calling said:


> I don't call those earrings. They're piercings.


Do you see them advertised as "Piercings, two pairs for the price of one?"


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## london calling

No, but I see them advertised as 'nose rings'. Here's a US site that sells them (urbanbodyjewelry.com):

Unique Nose Rings At Low Prices Online | UrbanBodyJewelry.com


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## Sandrin_Curandera

As I understand, it's better to write "an ornament you wear *on/in* your ears". It's an ormanent so nobody will think they're earbuds.


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## Myridon

london calling said:


> No, but I see them advertised as 'nose rings'. Here's a US site that sells them (urbanbodyjewelry.com):
> 
> Unique Nose Rings At Low Prices Online | UrbanBodyJewelry.com


Except for the "nose screws" and the "nose studs", all of those work as earrings (or nipple rings or several other places).

My mother wears clip-*on* earrings (they aren't called clip-in earrings, are they? ). When I was a child, it was easy to buy them as a gift. Now, I know of one store that carries only a few pairs - rarely anything my mother would wear. I wonder if the above posters are influenced by not actually having much experience of clip-on earrings.


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## kentix

My point is that there are two ways things can be "in" your ears.


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## london calling

Myridon said:


> Except for the "nose screws" and the "nose studs", all of those work as earrings (or nipple rings or several other places).
> My mother wears clip-*on* earrings ...


My very elderly mother wears clip-on earrings too. I always have trouble finding any she would like for her (she loves earrings and wouldn't go out without them).

I would still never refer to any ring you attach to your nose as an earring.


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## Loob

Sandrin_Curandera said:


> It makes sense when you write a question for a crossword, for example: an ornament you wear on/in your ears. I need your answers for this purpose.


For a crossword clue, I'd go with "in" - despite the fact that I don't, myself, have pierced ears so wearing earrings 'in my ears' would be rather uncomfortable.


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## Roxxxannne

london calling said:


> My very elderly mother wears clip-on earrings too. I always have trouble finding any she would like for her (she loves earrings and wouldn't go out without them).
> 
> I would still never refer to any ring you attach to your nose as an earring.


I didn't mean that people who have an ornament in their nose would call it an earring.  I meant my comment #11 as a joke, which apparently didn't work: one can buy something advertised as an earring and wear it in one's nose.


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## london calling

Roxxxannne said:


> I didn't mean that people who have an ornament in their nose would call it an earring.  I meant my comment #11 as a joke, which apparently didn't work: one can buy something advertised as an earring and wear it in one's nose.


Sorry, it wasn't at all clear that you were joking. You edited your post after I replied to it.


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## Roxxxannne

I will try to remember always to use a smiley face in situations where I practice dry Yankee humor.


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## kentix

You missed your chance.


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## reno33

In my considered judgement,  you can't wear an earring *in* your ear anymore than you can wear a hat *in* your head or lipstick i*n* your lips.


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## Roxxxannne

kentix said:


> You missed your chance.


Haha! I was serious in post #24!!  
Seriously!!!
:-|


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## Andygc

reno33 said:


> In my considered judgement,  you can't wear an earring *in* your ear anymore than you can wear a hat *in* your head or lipstick i*n* your lips.


Could you perhaps explain that? The external ear is part of the ear and is in most people's English referred to as the "ear" (eg, "look how his ears stick out"). Piercings may be made in the ear. A ring worn in an ear piercing is worn in the ear. I don't see what other preposition you could use.


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## london calling

reno33 said:


> In my considered judgement,  you can't wear an earring *in* your ear anymore than you can wear a hat *in* your head or lipstick i*n* your lips.


My ears are pierced. I have holes in my earlobes. I insert earrings in the said holes in the said earlobes, so I'm afraid we'll have to agree to disagree on this one.


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## tunaafi

reno33 said:


> In my considered judgement,  you can't wear an earring *in* your ear anymore than you can wear a hat *in* your head or lipstick i*n* your lips.


You may not be able to, but many of us do.


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## PaulQ

london calling said:


> My ears are pierced. I have holes in my earlobes. I insert earrings in the said holes in the said earlobes,


I think this is the answer, You wear earrings *in *your ears if the ears are pierced, and *on *your ears if they are not.


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## london calling

PaulQ said:


> I think this is the answer, You wear earrings *in *your ears if the ears are pierced, and *on *your ears if they are not.


Yes, I think we've said that loudly and clearly several times in this thread.


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## PaulQ

Then why has nobody taken any notice!  You're right!


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## Loob

PaulQ said:


> Then why has nobody taken any notice!


Well, the OP expressed gratitude for that answer in post 6...


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## Michael_Goldman

This is what I have just come across with in a Sidney Sheldon's book: "... in a ... ball gown, with diamonds gleaming *AT* her ears, neck and wrists, ...."

What if we say "wear earrings *at* one's ears"?

Don't we eliminate the type conception of earrings by using "at" instead of "in" or "on"?

Thanks.


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## reno33

Michael_Goldman said:


> *Don't we eliminate the type conception of earrings by using "at" instead of "in" or "on"?*


Why not *"through" *the ears?   After all, in most kinds of earrings, a part of the item actually pierces (ugh) your ear.


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## Barque

Michael_Goldman said:


> with diamonds gleaming *AT* her ears, neck and wrists, ...."


"At" works here because the ornaments aren't specified--from the locations we can infer that she was wearing diamond earrings, a diamond necklace and diamond bracelets.


Michael_Goldman said:


> What if we say "wear earrings *at* one's ears"?


When you specify "earring", "at" doesn't work.


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## Michael_Goldman

reno33 said:


> Why not *"through" *the ears?   After all, in most kinds of earrings, a part of the item actually pierces (ugh) your ear.
> 
> 
> View attachment 44701View attachment 44702



"Through" does't work when we talk about the location of where we wear earrings, does it? 


Barque said:


> "At" works here because the ornaments aren't specified--from the locations we can infer that she was wearing diamond earrings, a diamond necklace and diamond bracelets.
> 
> When you specify "earring", "at" doesn't work.



Now it is totally clear about "in" & "on" wearing earrings conception.


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## kentix

Barque said:


> At" works here because the ornaments aren't specified--from the locations we can infer that she was wearing diamond earrings, a diamond necklace and diamond bracelets.




Yes, this is a very specific use for that context. It only works because it's vague. It doesn't use the word wear at all because that's not what he's describing. He's describing _where_ she is wearing jewelry, not the jewelry she is wearing or how it is being worn.


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## NewHampster

I think the distinction people are making between pierced and clip on earrings is silly; who forensically examines a woman's earlobes to determine the right preposition?  I have pierced ears.  I would typically say "I have earrings on" or "I had on my favorite pair of earrings."  If someone asked me, "Was she wearing any jewelry?" I would respond "Yes, she had earrings on."  

But I agree with the previous poster that it's more common to avoid the preposition entirely and say "I'm wearing earrings; I was wearing my favorite earrings; she was wearing earrings."


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## london calling

NewHampster said:


> I think the distinction people are making between pierced and clip on earrings is silly.


Well I think it's silly not to. 😊


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