"on the list" vs "in the list"?

Hello, everyone! Does the choice of the prepositions depend on the number of items there only: for a short list - "on", and for a large volume of items - "in"?

Thanks in advance

Question

"on the list" vs "in the list"?

Hello, everyone! Does the choice of the prepositions depend on the number of items there only: for a short list - "on", and for a large volume of items - "in"?

Thanks in advance

Answer

Certainly a short vs long list makes no difference.

"On" is safe to use all the time. No one will fail to understand you if you say "in the list", but it is not the usual usage, in my experience.

Answer

Hi!

It's always 'on the list', never 'in the list' 😊

Answer

Most of the time, you would say “on the list,” even if you’re talking about a long list of items. Very rarely would you ever say “in the list.”

Answer

It depends on the sentence. Most often it would be "on the list", though.
For example:
I don't see eggs on the list of food I need to buy.
vs
There are no nouns in this list of words.

В первом случае, мы говорим "on" так как говорится о физическом списке продуктов (вещей). Во втором случае, мы говорим "in" потому что речь идет о составе этого списка. 
Знаю, звучит очень запутанно. В английском много таких нюансов, их просто надо почувствовать, к сожалению. Но если будете говорить "on the list", вы не ошибетесь и вас по-любому поймут!