Everyday and every day are not the same thing! However, they do sound the same in speech, which is why it is so easy to confuse them with each other. This is a classic example of where the compound word does not have the same meaning as the individual words the word comprises of. Other classic examples include everybody and every body, everyone and every one, and everything and every thing. This post will help you understand what each word means, the difference between the words, and a trick for remembering which word to use.
Everyday
Everyday is a compound word consisting of the individual words every and day. Everyday is an adjective that is used to refer to something being seen or used daily, or something that is ordinary or commonplace. Typically, everyday will be followed by a noun, unless there are already other adjectives describing the noun.
Everyday in a Sentence
- These are my everyday clothes.
- I have my everyday tasks that I need to catch up on.
- The boy’s father loves to wear his everyday black suit.
- Burger and chips is our everyday dinner.
Every day
Every day is an adverbial phrase made up of the adjective every and the noun day. Every day means ‘each day’ or ‘daily’. Adverbs like this are used to describe verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, but not nouns.
Every day in a Sentence
- My son must go to school every day.
- Every day, I go to the shops to buy bread.
- We collect money every day from the government.
- Walking every day is good for the heart.
Everyday and Every day Together
- I like to go walking every day in my everyday tracksuit.
- Sleeping 7 hours a day every day should be an everyday occurrence.
How To Remember Which One To Use
An easy way to remember how to use every day in a sentence is to remember that every day is the same as each day, and so if you can replace the word every with the word each, then you most likely have used every day correctly. For example, if you say, ‘We collect money every day from the government’, then you are collecting money each day. However, you cannot say, ‘We collect money eachday from the government’ as eachday is not a word that exists in the English language, so you would have to use the phrase every day rather than everyday.
In addition, remember that everyday can be used to answer the question ‘what kind?’. For example, if you ask yourself ‘What kind of clothes will I be wearing today?’, you could say ‘my everyday clothes’, but not my every day clothes.
If you have misused these terms before, not to worry, as you are not alone! Remember to use our tricks to help you identify which term is the correct one to use and you’ll not make this mistake ever again.
