I was stuck on a traffic jam. vs I was stuck in a traffic jam.

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'I was stuck in a traffic jam' is the more common and idiomatic expression to indicate being trapped in a congested flow of vehicles. On the other hand, 'I was stuck on a traffic jam' could be interpreted as being physically stuck on top of a traffic jam, which is less common.

Last updated: March 15, 2024 • 1158 views

I was stuck on a traffic jam.

This phrase is correct but less common. It could be interpreted as being physically stuck on top of a traffic jam.

This phrase could be used in a creative or metaphorical context to describe a situation where someone is figuratively stuck on top of a traffic jam, rather than being stuck in the traffic itself.

Examples:

I was stuck on a traffic jam of paperwork all day.
She felt like she was stuck on a traffic jam of emotions.
The project was stuck on a traffic jam of delays.
His mind was stuck on a traffic jam of thoughts.
The team was stuck on a traffic jam of ideas.

Alternatives:

I was stuck in a traffic jam.
I was stuck behind a traffic jam.
I was stuck in traffic.
I was caught in a traffic jam.
I was trapped in a traffic jam.

I was stuck in a traffic jam.

This phrase is correct and the more common way to express being trapped in a congested flow of vehicles.

This phrase is the standard way to convey the idea of being caught in a traffic jam, where the traffic is the surrounding environment causing the delay.

Show examples from the web [+]

... and unable to move or moving very slowly: Roadworks have caused traffic jams throughout the city centre. I was stuck in a traffic jam for an hour yesterday.
Recently I was stuck in a traffic jam, a passenger in a car inching along up to my destination. I was startled by a loud honking to my right, and when I instinctively ...
One time when I was stuck in a traffic jam, it turned out everyone was rubbernecking to see some fawns grazing on the side of the freeway. TwoDogsFucking 184 ...
Nov 18, 2014 ... "I was stuck in a traffic jam when I had a curious thought -- billions drive cars in the world, yet few have any idea of what lies under the bonnet," ...

Alternatives:

I was stuck on a traffic jam.
I was stuck behind a traffic jam.
I was stuck in traffic.
I was caught in a traffic jam.
I was trapped in a traffic jam.

What Our Customers Are Saying

Our customers love us! We have an average rating of 4.79 stars based on 283,125 votes.
Also check out our 2,100+ reviews on TrustPilot (4.9).

"Thank you!"
Sachi Nakama July 2024
"I have literally been through chat, PI, claude, bard and bing and I got conflicting answers! Thank you! Human intelligence reigns!"
Retha July 2024
"Faster than AI"
CYNTHIA December 2023
"This was very helpful and I personally think this site is the best."
Kaden October 2023
"It was extremely thorough and very helpful!"
imperialelisa October 2023
"7 years without any disappointment. Always 100% satisfied. You guys are the best in the world at what you do. Thank you so much :)"
Zubair Alam October 2023
"In a world of text messages and online communication, this is great to have as a live tool. Thank you."
Selena October 2023
"Without textranch I would be stuck!"
宏祐 October 2023
"Accuracy and fast response. Personal comments from editor. Thank you."
Clh September 2023
"I wasn't aware of this service, it's fascinating and more reliable than standard IA tools available on the internet"
Arturo September 2023
"The fact that you can get reliable fast feedback on your texts."
Vinicius Antonio August 2023
"you guys are better than grammarly i'm being honest here"
ordinary July 2023
"OMG! This is really good than any other text correction tools I've used so far. Highly recommend this."
Vehan July 2023
"Very fast and accurate. thank you."
mojtaba July 2023
"I love this app because it's help to writing skills all of students ♥️"
Tarisini July 2023
"This was exactly the mistake I was looking for, the wording dind´t sound right at first. Better than grammarly!"
Ente July 2023
"The immediate help that I received was reassuring and very satisfactory. Thanks."
priiiyanshuu July 2023
"this helps A LOT for my studies."
kathnunez02 June 2023
"Woow!! I would never have expected such precision! Thank you soooo much!!"
Berta June 2023
"Real Time Editor and not AI. Many Thanks."
Priya June 2023
"The very first thing excites me about Textranch is how much your editors care."
sepideh June 2023
"The fact that texts are checked by human editors rather than by AI, etc. I appreciate this!"
Анна June 2023
"Feel welcome, immediate response, high quality feedback"
martin.roy June 2023
"This is the best app that I have ever seen"
Burulai May 2023

I was stuck on a traffic jam. vs I was stuck in a traffic jam.