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In the northeastern USA I usually hear "good for you," as in

You passed the test? Good for you! [congrats]

Good for you, for stopping to help! [you are a good person]

Online I often see the variant "good on you/good on ya" written, as in

You passed the test? Good on ya!

Good on you for stopping to help!

(I was able to find this discussion about the phrases, but there seems to be little agreement about which English speakers use which variant. We've also got a definition here of "good for you".)

Is there a difference in usage between the two phrases - are they used in different ways? Or, do they mean the same thing and are used by speakers of different dialects?

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I think you've rather answered your own question, in that you've substituted one phrase for the other with no change of meaning. – user1579 May 31 '11 at 15:45
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Using "good on you" (usually pronounced "yeh") is one of the signifiers - like "throw some shrimp on the barbie" - that Americans use to make it clear that they're imitating an Aussie. I have no idea how authentic it is, however. – MT_Head May 31 '11 at 15:47
@Rhodri that's what I think, that at least in this context they're interchangeable, but I'm not sure :) – aedia λ May 31 '11 at 15:50
"Good on you (ya)" is Australian dialect for "good for you." If an American were to use it, it would be referencing "Strine." – The Raven May 31 '11 at 17:49
@Raven I had never heard of Strine :) You and @Mt_Head may well be right that some of the instances of "good on ya" I've seen are Americans imitating Australians! – aedia λ Jun 1 '11 at 19:16

4 Answers

up vote 5 down vote accepted

I can only speak from a British English perspective, but the two phrases would be unambiguously different to me.

Good for you would be a way of acknowledging that some good has come to a person, and implying that one approves of it and are happy for the person (ie. "that's good for you").

Good on you would be a way of thanking a person explicitly for something they have done (ie. "i wish good on you").

In your examples, then, the more appropriate usage in the 2 phrases would be:

  • You passed the test? Good for you!
  • Good on you for stopping to help!
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That's the way I think I've mostly heard "good on you" used as well, to mean "good of you". If you Google you will find most instances having that sense. But I think I might've also heard it occasionally to mean "good for you": perhaps by Americans? It sounds decidedly Commonwealth to me, especially Australian. I can imagine an Englishman saying "well done" with a cockney accent; but an Australian? He would most probably say "good on ya", as would a New Zealander. Do we have any antipodes hanging around here? They're probably asleep now... – Cerberus May 31 '11 at 16:45
From a British English perspective, I don't agree. They both have the same meaning to me. Or: "Good on you" would only be used to congratulate someone on an action they have taken or something they obtained for themselves, whereas "good for you" could be used for any positive event regardless of if the subject had a hand in creating it. – victoriah May 31 '11 at 16:56
For me, 'good on you' is basically the same as 'thank you'. You wouldn't say 'thank you' as mere congratulation. – Jez May 31 '11 at 17:03
I disagree. "Good on you" does not come over "Thank you" to me, except in as much as it's a side-effect of congratulating someone on a job well done. – user1579 Jun 1 '11 at 12:55
I think now I understand how "good on you" is used instead of "good for you" by some speakers, especially BrE speakers. Take these examples of usage on reddit for example. It's like thanking someone, wishing good to come to them because of the good they did by donating. But "good for you" is for any positive thing as @victoriah explains. I don't distinguish these meanings in my speech! – aedia λ Jun 1 '11 at 19:34
up vote 1 down vote

"Good for you" is a reference to something you have DONE (or said).

In American English, "Good on you" is a reference to something that you are wearing. "That hat looks "GOOD ON YOU."

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up vote 0 down vote

I think it is a regionalism. Growing up in Oklahoma I heard "good for you" all the time, but never heard "good on you" until I moved to the east coast. There's perhaps a shade of meaning difference between them, but not enough that I can even describe it.

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up vote 0 down vote

American, East-coaster here, 50-ish!
Nobody ever said 'good on you' anywhere in the US until recent decades, and very few people use it, probably referencing Aussie speech as mentioned above. (To an American ear, it sounds odd. Almost like a substance has been spotted on a person's shoulder... "Wait, there is some good on you... all set, I've brushed it off!")

"Good for you" is a way to congratulate someone here either for good fortune (lottery) or for a good act (persevering, helping another, passing a test).

To thank someone, there would be a longer phrase including the words 'good of you.' And I think 'nice of you' is probably more common here in this instance -- We might even hear "kind of you" here but it sounds stodgy, probably more among older people. That was really good/nice of you; it was good/nice of you to come tonight...

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