Everyday, one word, is an adjective that means ordinary or usual: everyday clothes. Every day, two words, means each day: I walk every day. If you can put each day in its place, write two words.
Many people are unsure which of the two to use, and it is easy to see why: everyday and every day sound exactly the same. This article explains the difference and gives you a simple test.
Everyday: one word, an adjective
When you write everyday as one word, it is an adjective. It means usual, normal, or commonplace, or suitable for ordinary days. Because it is an adjective, it describes a noun, so you will almost always find it right in front of one.
Examples:
- I love wearing these jeans for everyday use.
- Never wear an everyday outfit to a special occasion.
- Worrying about everyday problems can lead to stress.
- I want to be comfortable on my feet, so I am going to wear my everyday sneakers.
Other words that sound alike but are spelled differently cause the same kind of trouble. Find out how to use there, their, and they're correctly.
Every day: two words, meaning each day
When you write every day as two words, it means daily, or each day. Here every is a determiner and day is a noun, and together they work as an adverbial phrase: they say how often something happens. So every day does a different job in a sentence than everyday does.
Examples:
- I want to lose weight, so I am going to the gym every day.
- I love eating cereal every day.
- My boss wants me to work every day this week.
- Since my surgery, I feel much better every day.
The test: try "each day" instead
The easiest way to decide between the two is to replace the word with each day. Each day and every day mean the same thing, so if each day fits and the sentence still makes sense, every day is correct. If each day does not make sense, use everyday.
In the two sentences below, both every day and each day make sense:
- Eating greasy food every day is bad for your health.
- Eating greasy food each day is bad for your health.
Now look at what happens with everyday in a similar sentence:
- My English teacher gives us homework every day. (correct)
- My English teacher gives us homework each day. (correct)
- My English teacher gives us homework everyday. (wrong)
The test works the other way round, too. "I am going to wear my each day sneakers" makes no sense, so the sneakers are everyday sneakers.
A second check: everyday can usually be replaced by ordinary or usual. If one of those fits, the one-word form is right.
Be sure to also read about these 6 important grammar rules you need to know. The same one-word or two-word question comes up with a while and awhile and with apart and a part.
Remember the rule
The examples show that every day and each day can swap places without a problem, but everyday cannot. Keep this test in mind whenever you have to choose between the two. Because both forms are real English, a dictionary alone cannot tell which one belongs in your sentence; the AI Spell Checker reads the whole sentence, so it can.