Learn English – the difference between “hang on” and “hold on”

differences

I often hear the words hang on and hold on, especially on TV. People use them when they want someone to wait for something. What's the difference between them?

Best Answer

"Hang on" and "Hold on". I often hear these words, especially on TV. People use them when they want someone to wait for something.

In the provided context, they are very similar.

Hang on:

informal wait for a short time: hang on a minute—do you think I might have left anything out? *(on the telephone) remain connected until one is able to talk to a particular person.*

Hold on can mean the same in general conversation:

[often in imperative] wait; stop:
hold on a minute, I’ll be right back!

While the end result is the same, when used as part of telephonic conversations, hold on often refers more to being placed on hold:

waiting to be connected while making a telephone call:
‘I’ll just see if he’s free,’ Rachel said, and put me on hold

As the ODO page will confirm, there are a number of other idiomatic uses of hold (hold your horses, hold your fire, hold it, etc.) which share similar connotations of stop or wait.

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