On Long Island, three little letters can really set people off.
Gov. Kathy Hochul found that out the hard way this week after she posted on social media that she spent the day "in Long Island" — a phrase many locals treat as a dead giveaway that you’re not from around here.
To most Long Islanders, the only acceptable preposition is "on" Long Island. Saying you’re "in" Long Island lands about as well as calling a bagel a roll.
Hochul, who grew up upstate and now calls Buffalo home, originally wrote on X that she had spent the day "in Long Island talking with seniors, small business owners, and families" and stressing that "prices are too high" and "New Yorkers need relief." A reporter grabbed a screenshot of the post before it was deleted and quickly shared it, calling the misstep a "rookie mistake" for a statewide politician.
The governor’s team soon reposted the message with the wording changed to "on Long Island." But by then, the damage — at least online — was done, and the Island’s preposition police were out in full force.
Social media users from Nassau to Suffolk weighed in, many half joking, others not so much. One person wrote that it was "one more reason Long Island needs to secede," reviving a long-running tongue‑in‑cheek idea that the Island break away from New York State. Another user snarked, "Tell me you don’t know anything about Long Island without telling me you don’t know anything about Long Island, Kathy."
Others used the flap to question whether Albany really understands local culture and concerns east of the city. One commenter said that while the mistake was "a little thing," it showed "how little she cares about the state she’s running" — suggesting that not knowing the "on Long Island" rule fits into a broader narrative about state leaders being out of touch with downstate suburbs.
The online mockery even drifted into deli territory, with one user joking, "Bet she asks for extra mayo on the pastrami," pairing the line with a facepalm emoji — another way of saying the governor violated another unwritten tri-state rule.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican and Hochul’s expected challenger in November’s gubernatorial race, seized on the moment. Blakeman, who has made the high cost of living on Long Island a central theme of his criticism of the governor, jumped onto X to correct her.
"It’s ON Long Island, Kathy," Blakeman wrote. "But thanks to your taxes and sky high utility bills, fewer families can afford to stay here ON Long Island." The capital letters left little doubt he was happy to fan the flames and tie a language slip to broader economic frustrations facing homeowners from Valley Stream to Riverhead.
Hochul’s camp quickly brushed off the attack, arguing that Blakeman was focusing on the wrong thing. Spokesperson Gordon Tepper said that if Blakeman thinks "the biggest issue facing Long Island is a corrected preposition, that says more about his priorities than ours."
Tepper insisted Hochul is locked in on what Long Islanders repeatedly rank as top concerns: affordability and safety. "The Governor will keep working on affordability and public safety on Long Island while he focuses on Twitter typos," he said, drawing a sharp line between the social media back‑and‑forth and what the administration says are real‑world issues affecting local families.
On the streets of Suffolk County, people seemed more amused than outraged.
In Sayville, shoppers strolling along Main Street on Thursday said they noticed the flap but didn’t see it as a policy crisis.
"The governor should absolutely know better," said Jeremy Burd, who lives in the area and said he’s heard the debate over "in" versus "on" since he was a kid. "But this is just a dumb thing to be mad about. We’ve got property taxes, LIRR fares, and flooding to worry about — not grammar." His comments echoed a sentiment many Long Islanders share: the preposition might be important, but not nearly as important as the monthly bills.
In Port Jefferson, where ferries carry travelers across the Sound but locals still guard their hometown identity closely, resident Will Sussman took a more joking tone.
"Anyone who says ‘in’ Long Island is unfit to be our governor," he said with a laugh, before adding that it’s the kind of mistake that instantly gives away someone from out of town, like mispronouncing Ronkonkoma or calling it the "L‑I‑R‑R" instead of "the LIRR."
Others were more forgiving. One shopper, who gave his name only as Joe, said he understood why people nitpick the phrase but doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with either version.
"That’s kind of dumb — you’re on an island, but you’re in a town on an island," he said. "So there’s nothing wrong with saying either, I don’t think." He added that he’s more interested in what elected officials are doing to bring down costs, keep crime in check, and improve infrastructure than how they phrase their travel posts.
Linguists often note that the "on Long Island" vs. "in Long Island" rule isn’t actually a rule at all, but a local convention. People say they live "in Queens" or "in Brooklyn" even though those places are also on Long Island geographically. The "on Long Island" phrase evolved as a way for Nassau and Suffolk residents to distinguish their suburbs from the city boroughs.
But for many who grew up in places like Hempstead, Huntington, and Hampton Bays, using the "right" preposition has become a badge of local identity, almost as telling as cheering for the Islanders or knowing where to find a good egg sandwich at 6 a.m.
The dust‑up comes as Long Island continues to play a pivotal role in statewide elections. Suburban voters in Nassau and Suffolk have been swinging more competitive in recent years, and both parties know small symbolic moments — even a social media slip — can snowball into bigger narratives about who truly understands life along the South Shore, the North Fork, and everywhere in between.
For now, most residents seem ready to move on, as long as the governor remembers the unwritten rule next time.
After all, as many locals would say: you’re on Long Island — and always will be.
