“Every day” or “everyday”?

This article was originally published on Sept 12, 2015. This is a revised version republished on Feb 1, 2017.

So which one is correct: every day (two words) or everyday (one word)?

The answer is that they can both be correct. It depends on the context…

EVERY DAY (two words) is an adverb.

You can:
cook something quickly,
drive carefully,
always help others,
or read the newspaper every day.

Here are some more examples:

I get up at six every day.
I see my colleague Pierre almost every day.
Every day, I decide to keep my desk neat and tidy but by the end of the day it is again a complete mess.
Technology companies come up with new products every day.

.

EVERYDAY (one word) is an adjective.

So, for example, you may have:
big problems,
small problems,
old problems,
or everyday problems.

Here are some more examples:

Computers and smart phones have become a part of our everyday life.
Could you teach me some everyday expressions that I could use in everyday conversations with people?
Many people are unaware of the potential dangers of everyday drugs such as aspirin.
Traffic, pollution and other everyday problems are part and parcel of city life.

.

You see? It’s so simple! Piece of cake… :-)

And we’ll wrap it all up with this picture of an overly enthusiastic dog:

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Hassan S
Settler
Learner
Active Learner
Pioneers (Those who started it all…)
7 years ago

May I add the same rule applies to faraway and far away?

P H
Reply to  Hassan S
7 years ago

Exactly! Here are a couple of examples:

• The train appeared from far away.
• They travelled to faraway lands and saw wonderful things.

Azadeh H
Settler
Active Learner
Learner
7 years ago

After one day of reading the post I felt confused and I decided to use the two words in some sentences to check weather or not I got the right way of using them.

I go to work every day.
Everyday life is a bit boring, you have to do the same things every day.

I hope this helps me to memorize the difference.

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