Come on come in vs Welcome

When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.

Come on come in

Top 2,000 (common)

Welcome

Top 1,000 (very common)A1exclamation
Most common: Welcome
 Come on come inWelcome
Pronunciation🇬🇧 //kʌm ɒn kʌm ɪn//🇺🇸 //kʌm ɑn kʌm ɪn//🇬🇧 /["/ˈwelkəm/"]/🇺🇸 /["/ˈwelkəm/"]/
MeaningTo invite someone to enter a place.Hello and nice to see you.
ExampleWhen you arrive, just knock and I'll say, 'Come on in!'Welcome home!
RegisterNeutralNeutral
How commonTop 2,000 (common)Top 1,000 (very common)
CEFR level-A1
Part of speechexclamation
Collocationscome on over, come on in, come on downa warm welcome, welcome message, welcome addition, welcome change, welcome party
Antonyms-unwelcome, excluded, rejected
Common mistakesConfusing 'come on' with 'come in'—they serve different purposes., Using 'come on' with a formal invitation., Overusing 'come in' without context, making it sound robotic.Using 'welcomed' instead of 'welcome' when greeting someone., Confusing 'welcome' with 'welcomed' in past tense situations., Not using it correctly in a sentence, like saying 'I welcome you here' instead of 'I welcome you'.
Usage notesUse 'come on' as an inviting phrase in casual situations. 'Come in' is polite and suitable for welcoming guests.Used in greetings. Appropriate in most situations, formal and informal. In formal settings, you might say 'We welcome you to our event'.

See it in real clips

Come on come in
Welcome

Frequently asked questions: Come on come in vs Welcome

What's the difference between Come on come in and Welcome?

Come on come in: To invite someone to enter a place. Welcome: Hello and nice to see you.

Which is more common: Come on come in and Welcome?

Welcome is the most common in everyday English.

Can you show an example of each?

Come on come in: When you arrive, just knock and I'll say, 'Come on in!' Welcome: Welcome home!

Can I use Come on come in and Welcome interchangeably?

Not always. Come on come in and Welcome are related and overlap in some contexts, but they differ in register, how common they are, and usage, so swapping one for another can change the meaning or tone. Check the differences above before substituting.

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