Fill in or Fill out a form?
written by Lilian Ndongmo. ESL Teacher
Fill in and fill out are both phrasal verbs. A phrasal verb is simply a verb that is followed by a preposition. For a simple but detailed explanation of phrasal verbs with examples, click to go to understanding and using phrasal verbs.
Important: Fill in and fill out have at least two or more different meanings. Here, only the meaning related to completing forms will be addressed.
Can I fill in or fill out a form?
Fill in a form means complete the form with the relevant or required information which it (the form) is asking you to provide.
Some things you can fill out include:
Fill out a form
Fill out a questionnaire
Fill out a coupon
Fill out a tax return
Using fill in
According to Collins English dictionary, British English uses fill in a form to mean writing information in the spaces on that form. This, I believe, helps to explain why we say fill in the blanks and not fill out the blanks.
Some things you can fill in include:
Fill in a form (the spaces on the form)
Fill in the blanks (the empty spaces in a grammar exercise, for example)
Fill in the gaps
Fill in / Fill out a form: which one is correct?
It depends on the context, the region in which you live, and to some extent, the trend (frequency of usage in the region in which you live).
Personally, in a formal context, I will say fill out a form, not fill in. If you use fill in, I’m sure no one will crucify you for that. Fill out the blanks is definitely wrong.
I hope this helps.