Everyday or every day?

What do “everyday” and “every day” mean?

“Everyday” is an adjective, and it refers to something commonplace or ordinary. For instance, consider the following example:

• She wore her everyday shoes.

Here, “everyday” describes the shoes, and imbues this noun with the meaning that they’re shoes for regular use, not for any special occasion.

However, “every day” is an adverbial phrase, or a group of words that functions as an adverb. It means the word “every” modifying the noun “day,” and denotes something that occurs daily:

• My father reads the newspaper every day.

This indicates a common action that occurs regularly.

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How to use “everyday”

Use the word “everyday” to describe something ordinary or mundane. While these can sometimes be considered negatives, they can also refer to a routine that brings comfort and stability to one’s life. Consider these examples:

• I can’t function in the mornings without my everyday coffee ritual.
• These pants are so comfortable, they’ll become your everyday go-to.
• Washing the dishes is an everyday chore, so why are you complaining?
• Mandy does her everyday stretching routine before she goes to bed.

How to use “every day”

On the other hand, when highlighting the recurrence of an action on a daily basis, opt for “every day,” a phrase that relies on the strength of the meaning of “every” to emphasize repetition and regularity. Consider the second part of the phrase as a time, which means that it can also be swapped with any time: every morning, every Tuesday, etc.

• Every day this week I’ve woken up with an awful migraine.
• My mother makes me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every morning.
• Recycling collection comes every Wednesday.
• Our anchorman brings the news every 10pm, except last week when he was out sick.

Tips for differentiating between the usage of “everyday” and “every day”

Here are some ways you can determine whether “everyday” or “every day” makes more grammatical sense in your writing:

• Adjective check: If you can substitute “ordinary” or “commonplace” in the sentence, “everyday” is the right choice.
• Frequency test: If you can insert “each day” instead of “every day,” then “every day” is the suitable term.
• Hyphen hint: When in doubt, the hyphen test might help. If you can replace “everyday” with a hyphenated version “every-day,” it usually indicates the need for the two-word version “every day.”
• Pause and reflect: Take a moment to consider whether you’re describing something as usual or denoting the frequency of an action.

“Everyday” modifies or describes a noun, while “every day” describes frequency. Mixing them up can lead to sentences that convey unintended meanings or cause misunderstandings. That’s why it’s important to differentiate between these two words or phrases, as a steadfast way to maintain clarity and precision in writing. For more tips on how to sound more accurate in your writing, check out how to use sentence inversion or whether you can end a sentence with a preposition.