Difference Between “Everyday” and “Every Day”
“Everyday” or “Every Day”, Which is Correct?
When learning English, you often encounter words and phrases that sound similar but have different meanings and uses. A typical example is the difference between “everyday” and “every day“. When you read them out loud, they sound the same, and the only difference in writing is the space between the words. Is this a mistake? In fact, both versions are spelled correctly. They simply have different meanings and uses. “Everyday” is an adjective that means “common” or “typical”. For example, “everyday clothes”. “Every day” is a phrase that means “each day” or “daily”. For example, “I go to school every day.” In this article, we will examine the difference between them in more detail and understand through examples the cases where it is right to use one or the other.
Everyday (One Word)
“Everyday” when written as one word is mostly used as an adjective. That is, it is used to describe a noun, providing more information about an object, person or situation. When we use “everyday,” we refer to what is common, habitual or part of daily life. It is synonymous with “ordinary” or “typical” and means that something is not unusual, but commonplace. Let’s look at some examples using “everyday”:
- The store offers discounts on everyday items like bread and milk.
- He wears his everyday shoes to work since they’re comfortable and durable.
- We easily overlook the beauty of everyday moments.
As you already understood, “Everyday” is used to describe regular actions, routines (of an object or activity).
- Wearing jeans is an everyday occurrence for most people.
- She prefers everyday makeup over elaborate cosmetics.
Every Day (Two Words)
“Every day” when written as two words is a phrase that acts as an adverbial phrase. It describes how often something happens, and is equivalent to the phrases “each day” or “daily.” This phrase modifies a verb, adjective or another adverb, providing more details about the frequency of an action or occurrence. Let’s look at some examples using “every day”:
- She goes for a run every day to stay healthy.
- Every day, the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
- They make an effort to learn a new English word every day.
The phrase “every day” indicates the frequency of an action, signifying that something happens daily. For example:
- He goes to the gym every day.
- They have a meeting every day after lunch.
How to Understand When to Use “Every Day” vs “Everyday”
If you are unsure which form to use, try substituting the word “day” with “week” or “month.” If the sentence still makes sense, you should use every day. If not, you should use everyday. For example:
- I go to the gym every day. -> I go to the gym every week. – the sentence still makes sense, so we use every day.
- This is my everyday shirt. -> This is my every week shirt. – the sentence does not make sense, so we use everyday.
Knowing the difference between “everyday” and “every day,” you will construct your sentences properly. Remember that “everyday” (one word) is an adjective used for common things, and “every day” (two words) is an adverbial phrase indicating when something happens.