Every Day or Everyday?

Every day and everyday may seem interchangeable, but they actually serve different functions and uses in language.

Every Day

Every day is a phrase that combines the determiner 'every' with the noun 'day'.

Every is a type of determiner known as a universal determiner, used to talk about all the members of a group, while day is a common noun referring to a 24-hour period. So, every day is used when speaking about something that happens each day or all days.

These are examples of every day in sentences:

She goes for a jog every day.
I drink coffee every day to stay alert.
Every day, we learn something new.

Everyday

On the other hand, everyday is an adjective used to describe something that is ordinary, typical, or commonplace. It describes something that is seen or used daily or is part of a person's daily life.

Look at these examples of everyday:

Grocery shopping is an everyday task.
He wears his everyday shoes to the park.
This is an everyday concern for many people.

So, while both every day and everyday involve the concept of daily occurrence or routine, every day describes when an action occurs, while everyday describes the nature of objects, tasks, events, or concerns.

Now test yourself in this Every Day or Everyday Exercise >>

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