Sign In Get Started
Preposition after adjective

Innocent of or innocent in?

Innocent of is the standard pattern for saying someone did not commit a crime or wrong action. Innocent in is uncommon and usually refers to involvement within a situation, not guilt.

Quick answer

Which preposition is correct with innocent?

Use innocent of to say someone did not do something wrong: innocent of fraud, innocent of murder. Innocent in is much less common and usually appears when talking about a role within an event or process rather than freedom from guilt.

The court found him innocent of all charges.
She is completely innocent of any wrongdoing.
Several officials were declared innocent in the investigation.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
innocent of + crime/wrongdoing

Saying someone did not commit an offence

This is the standard and most common pattern.

They were proven innocent of corruption.
The child was innocent of any bad intent.
2
innocent in + situation/process

Describing involvement within an event

This pattern is uncommon and usually refers to participation or presence in a situation, not guilt itself.

She remained innocent in the political dispute.
He was largely innocent in the decision-making process.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
innocent of
The company was innocent of fraud.
Standard pattern meaning not guilty of something.
innocent in
She was innocent in the matter.
Less common; refers to a role or position within a situation.
innocent about
The children were innocent about adult issues.
Possible but different in meaning; unaware or naive about something.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using innocent in for criminal guilt

Use innocent of when talking about crimes or accusations.

✕ He was innocent in theft. ✓ He was innocent of theft.

Confusing innocent of with innocent about

Innocent of means not guilty. Innocent about means naive or lacking knowledge.

✕ She is innocent of politics. ✓ She is innocent about politics.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The judge declared him ___ all charges.
2. She remained largely ___ the conflict.
3. The children were ___ the dangers of the internet.

Check your sentence in context

Paste the complete sentence below. Linguix checks the preposition together with grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style.

Free to try · No signup required

Frequently asked questions

Is innocent of the normal expression?

Yes. Innocent of is the standard expression for saying someone is not guilty of something.

Can I say innocent in?

Yes, but it is much less common and usually refers to involvement within a situation rather than guilt.

What does innocent about mean?

It means naive or lacking knowledge about a subject.

ideal-for-in-as-at, from "identical to" or "identical with"? identifiable by, as, with, in or to? "idle for" or "idle in"? ignorant of, about, to, in or on? "illegal in" or "illegal for"? illustrative of, in, rather or for? ill with, in, for, at or of? "immune to" or "immune from"? "impatient with" or "impatient for"? "imperative for" or "imperative to"? impervious to, from or in?

Write with confidence in Linguix

Create a free account to check complete texts, apply suggestions, and save your documents.

Create a free account