Since en route comes from French, remember that en is a French word and in is not.

In route seems like it should make sense, but it is a nonstandard variant and has never seen widespread use. Still, it grants insight into a long-term usage trend. This chart isn’t exhaustive in its scope, since it only looks at books published in English since 1800. en route, English writers have strongly preferred en route since at least the year 1800, which is nearly the entire time since en route was introduced into the language. As you can see from the graph below, this time charting in route vs. Nonetheless, in route is not considered a standard variant of this phrase. It is easy to see why writers make this mistake-the French en can translate directly to in in English, and the phrase itself means in transit. en route over time, the correct spelling is clearly en route. A spelling without a space enroute occasionally pops up here and there, but it is a widely rejected spelling that you should avoid.Īs you can see from the above graph, which charts enroute vs. When spoken aloud, en route is pronounced identically to on root, although the latter has an entirely separate meaning.Īlso, the correct spelling of this term is always en route. People might say they are en route to a party when asked if they have left yet.Įn route functions as an adverb in sentences, where it describes proximity or location. Today, en route simply means on the way in basically any context. Prominent Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles said Thursday he was barred from leaving the country after authorities seized his passport while en route to the United Nations to denounce rights abuses by President Nicolás Maduro’s government.“We have three supply vessels en route to the war zone,” said the ambassador.“Units are en route to the scene,” said the dispatcher over the radio.Merriam-Webster first recorded its use in English in 1779, probably coinciding with French military aid in the American Revolution. It is an importation of a French phrase that translates, literally, to on the way. What does en route mean? En route is an expression that means on the way or in transit.

Enroute 4 material set up