When composing an academic paper, you may frequently encounter words that are easily part of one of the most commonly confused words. It is critical to understand the distinction between “everyday” and “every day” right at the beginning of your academic writing journey. These two words have similar spellings but distinct meanings, and their confusion can have a detrimental effect on the quality of your writing. Clarity and precision are essential to effectively conveying arguments.
Definition of “everyday vs. every day”
The terms “everyday” and “every day” have the same spelling; however, one is written with a space in between the words “every” and “day”. Due to their quite similar meaning, they represent one of the most often confused words in academic writing. While “everyday” describes a thing as ordinary and functions as an adjective, “every day” indicates how typically something happens. It functions as an adverbial phrase, which means the adverb “every” modifies the noun “day”. The only distinct difference lies in their grammatical function.
Everyday
… is an adjective that describes something that is ordinary or routine.
Every day
… is an adverbial phrase indicating the frequency of an action or event.
The terms “everyday” and “every day” have the same spelling; however, one is written with a space in between the words “every” and “day”. Due to their quite similar meaning, they represent one of the most often confused words in academic writing. While “everyday” describes a thing as ordinary and functions as an adjective, “every day” indicates how frequently something happens. It functions as an adverbial phrase, which means the adverb “every” modifies the noun “day”. The only distinct difference lies in their grammatical function.
Using the word “everyday”
“Everyday” is an adjective. The grammatical function along with example sentences and synonyms will be illustrated in the following.
“Everyday” as an adjective
“Everyday” is an adjective in English. It is used to describe something as ordinary, commonplace, or a part of daily life. Here are three short example sentences illustrating the use and meaning of “everyday”.
Examples
- She prefers wearing everyday clothes like jeans and a T-shirt.
- The everyday routine of commuting to work can be quite monotonous.
- His everyday acts of kindness make him a beloved neighbour.
Tip for using “everyday” correctly
Including synonyms for “everyday” can improve writing, prevent redundancy, and add nuance. Here are four alternatives with sample sentences.
| Synonyms | Examples |
| Commonplace | The city's traffic congestion had become an everyday issue for commuters. |
| The city's traffic congestion had become a commonplace issue for commuters. | |
| Ordinary | Their everyday conversation topics often revolved around family and work. |
| Their ordinary conversation topics often revolved around family and work. | |
| Routine | Drinking a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper is an everyday morning for him. |
| Drinking a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper is a routine morning for him. | |
| Usual | She followed her everyday route to the park for her daily walk. |
| She followed her usual route to the park for her daily walk. |
Using the phrase “every day”
“Every day” is an adverbial phrase and is used to indicate the frequency of something. Its grammatical function will be illustrated below with the help of sample sentences as well as synonyms.
“Every day” as an adverbial phrase
“Every day” is an adverbial phrase in English. It is used to indicate the frequency of an action or event, signifying that something happens daily. Here are three short example sentences illustrating the use and meaning of “every day”.
Examples
- She practices the piano every day to improve her skills.
- I make it a point to exercise every day to stay fit and healthy.
- They meet for coffee every day after work to catch up on the day’s events.
Tip for using “every day” correctly
Using synonyms of “every day” prevents repetition, can improve writing quality, and avoid repetition and redundancy. Here are four alternatives.
| Synonyms | Examples |
| Daily | He takes a walk in the park every day to enjoy the fresh air. |
| He takes a walk in the park daily to enjoy the fresh air. | |
| Day-to-day | The operations of the business require careful management every day. |
| The day-to-day operations of the business require careful management. | |
| Each day | Every day, they explore a new location during their holiday. |
| Each day, they explore a new location during their holiday. | |
| On a daily basis | She checks her email every day to stay updated. |
| She checks her email on a daily basis to stay updated. |
Test yourself!
Practice sheet
To improve your understanding of the difference between “everyday” and “every day,” complete the ten sentences by filling in the blank spaces. You can then refer to the second tab for the correct answers and ensure that you comprehend the difference between the two terms.
- She has developed an _______ routine for her morning workout.
- Their _______ conversations revolve around work and family matters.
- I need to water the plants _______ to keep them healthy.
- He wears his _______ clothes, even to formal events.
- The team meets _______ after practice to discuss strategy.
- We appreciate the _______ support from our loyal customers.
- They go for a walk in the park _______ after dinner.
- _______ problems like traffic jams can be frustrating.
- She brushes her teeth _______ before going to bed.
- He aspires to expand his skills _______ to become a better musician.
- She has developed an everyday routine for her morning workout.
- Their everyday conversations revolve around work and family matters.
- I need to water the plants every day to keep them healthy.
- He wears his everyday clothes, even to formal events.
- The team meets every day after practice to discuss strategy.
- We appreciate the everyday support from our loyal customers.
- They go for a walk in the park every day after dinner.
- Everyday problems like traffic jams can be frustrating.
- She brushes her teeth every day before going to bed.
- He aspires to expand his skills every day to become a better musician.
FAQs
Both “everyday” and “every day” are correct, but they have different meanings and functions. “Everyday” is an adjective, while “every day” is an adverbial phrase indicating daily frequency. The choice depends on the context and what you want to convey.
The correct phrase is “I miss you every day”.
Yes, there is a subtle difference between “everyday” and “every single day.”
- “Everyday” describes something as ordinary, commonplace, or a part of daily life.
- “Every single day” emphasizes the regularity of an action or event, indicating that something happens every day.
The rule for using “every day” is to write it as two separate words when you want to convey the idea that something happens each day, indicating daily frequency.
Yes, “daily” and “every day” generally mean the same thing; they both indicate that something occurs on a daily basis. However, “daily” is often used more formally or in contexts that require brevity. In everyday conversation, “every day” is more common and is used to convey the same meaning.
