Everyday vs. Every Day

Do I write it together or separate?

Some words will always cause this confusion. Do I write them together? Or as two words? Does it even matter?

 

When it comes to “every day” and “everyday” it does matter. Writing it the one way or the other changes the meaning of the whole construct.

Don’t worry, you won’t be confused over them for much longer. Just read on and find out what the difference is between “everyday” as one word and “every day” written in two. Of course we provide you with some explanatory examples as well.

 

Everyday Vs. Every Day

Lets have a look at the meaning and structure of the two:

 

“Everyday” is an adjective that describes something, e.g. an activity, that occurs on a daily basis. It is also used to describe things as very common or ordinary.

 

Examples:

Global warming has become an everyday problem.
Our product is vital for your everyday life!

 

“Every day” is a phrase consisting of an adjective “very” and a noun “day”. In combination, the two function as an adverbial that describe something that is done each day.

 

Examples:

He went for a walk every day since the accident.
I have an appointment every day of this week except for Sunday.

 

A Simple Test

If you are still unsure which one to use, there is a very simple test that can help you with this. Just try replacing any of the constructs with “each day”.

 

If you replace “every day”, the sentence should still make sense:

✔️ He went for a walk each day since the accident.

 

If you replace “everyday” with “each day”, the sentence doesn’t make sense anymore. Instead, you can replace the one-word construct with “ordinary” or “daily”:

⚡ Global warming has become an each day problem.
✔️ Global warming has become a daily problem.