at the weekend/on the weekend

Which one is correct-
at the weekend or on the weekend?

 

Both "at the weekend" and "on the weekend" are grammatically correct, but "on the weekend" is more common in American English, while "at the weekend" is more common in British English. When referring to weekends in general, both "at weekends" (British English) and "on weekends" (American English) are used. The phrase "at the weekend" can also refer to a specific upcoming weekend. 

"At the weekend" (British English):

• This phrase is used to indicate a particular weekend or weekends in general. 

  • Example: "I'm going to visit my parents at the weekend." (referring to a specific upcoming weekend). 
  • Example: "I usually relax at the weekend." (referring to weekends in general). 
• "On the weekend" (American English):

  This is the more common way to refer to a specific weekend or weekends in general in American English. 

  • Example: "I'm going to visit my parents on the weekend." (referring to a specific upcoming weekend). 
  • Example: "I usually relax on the weekend." (referring to weekends in general). 
• "At weekends" (British English):

  This phrase is used when referring to weekends in general, similar to "on weekends". 

  • Example: "I don't usually work at weekends." 
• "On weekends" (American English):

  This phrase is used when referring to weekends in general, similar to "at weekends". 

  • Example: "I don't usually work on weekends." 

In summary, when referring to a specific weekend, both "at the weekend" and "on the weekend" are acceptable, with the choice often reflecting regional preference. For general weekends, both "at weekends" and "on weekends" are used, again with the choice often influenced by regional dialect.