English language possibly regional or cultural idiom question.

[Pæs]

Science says it's an age thing.

http://www.inst.at/trans/16Nr/01_4/barratt16.htm

THIS IS BRAND NEW INFORMATION.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

I would say "by accident" or "accidentally" depending on context. "On accident" sounds dumb.

Agreed.

No offense to CPD, like. It's just weird sounding to me.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Science says it's an age thing.

http://www.inst.at/trans/16Nr/01_4/barratt16.htm

THIS IS BRAND NEW INFORMATION.

Holy crap.

We just found out that holist is Golden Applesauce. 

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Also, the populations represented in this study are from, um... Michigan, Indiana, California and (where CPD is from) Georgia.

I would hardly call two Midwestern states, one state in the deep south and one state that can't even decide what it is and is considering splitting into two states, to be anywhere near representative of the US as a whole. I know Califuckians like to think they're the cultural center of the US, but uh, yeah, they're not really representative. Michigan and Indiana are in the same region. You can drive from one to the other.

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

In Ohio, I've heard it commonly stated either way. I wonder if it's related to the opposite phrase "on purpose"?

[Nephew Twiddleton]

In Ohio, I've heard it commonly stated either way. I wonder if it's related to the opposite phrase "on purpose"?

On purpose sounds correct to me.

I did it on purpose.
You did it by accident.

Interesting.

[Pæs]

I use and encounter both, haven't noticed one being more prevalent in UpsideDownLand.

[Dildo Argentino]

Science says it's an age thing.

http://www.inst.at/trans/16Nr/01_4/barratt16.htm

THIS IS BRAND NEW INFORMATION.

I swear I didn't see the other post when I posted, though now it says it was over an hour later... I was distracted by dog. Sorry about repeating the link.

For the record, I've never heard anyone say "on accident". Never been to America though.

[P3nT4gR4m]

Never heard "on accident" in my life. The other two, yeah. Either/or.

On a similiar note: "I could care less" or "I couldn't care less"

The latter makes contextual sense to me, the former always strikes me as weird when I hear it

[Golden Applesauce]

Also, the populations represented in this study are from, um... Michigan, Indiana, California and (where CPD is from) Georgia.

I would hardly call two Midwestern states, one state in the deep south and one state that can't even decide what it is and is considering splitting into two states, to be anywhere near representative of the US as a whole. I know Califuckians like to think they're the cultural center of the US, but uh, yeah, they're not really representative. Michigan and Indiana are in the same region. You can drive from one to the other.

Yeah. The sample sizes are also absurdly small.

Someone really ought to try to reproduce / discredit the results.

[trippinprincezz13]

30 minutes north of Boston and use (and hear most people use) "by accident" or "accidentally" with about equal frequency. It is a rare time that I hear "on accident", but I feel it's mostly those younger than me when I do.

[Faust]

Never heard "on accident" in my life. The other two, yeah. Either/or.

On a similiar note: "I could care less" or "I couldn't care less"

The latter makes contextual sense to me, the former always strikes me as weird when I hear it

The former doesn't make any sense.

[P3nT4gR4m]

Yeah but it's dead popular. 

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I have never heard "on accident". I have occasionally heard "by accident", but by far "accidentally" is more common here.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I have teenagers so if it were common in the youth here I would expect to have heard it a bit.