Deceive is commonly used with into and about. Other prepositions usually introduce methods or contexts rather than direct complements of the verb.
Use deceive into when someone is tricked into doing something or believing something false. Use deceive about for false information on a subject. By often introduces the method of deception, while in and on usually belong to separate context phrases.
These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.
Use into before an action or belief produced by deception.
Use about before the topic or fact that is hidden or distorted.
By introduces the means or method of deception.
The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.
Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.
In usually refers to a context or area, not the misleading subject.
✕ They deceived us in the costs. ✓ They deceived us about the costs.Use into before a verb ending in -ing or a noun phrase describing the result.
✕ She deceived him signing the form. ✓ She deceived him into signing the form.About is usually more natural when talking about misleading information.
✕ The ad deceived buyers on the price. ✓ The ad deceived buyers about the price.Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.
Paste the complete sentence below. Linguix checks the preposition together with grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style.
Yes. You can say someone deceived another person directly, such as They deceived the public.
Usually it is followed by a noun or an -ing form describing the result of the deception.
It is less common and often sounds formal or limited to specific contexts. About is safer in general English.
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