Both look almost the same, and both are about days. But they do different jobs. Here is one sentence with both: I study everyday English every day.
- Everyday (one word) means ordinary or usual. It describes a noun.
- Every day (two words) means each day. It tells you how often.
Everyday: ordinary
Use everyday (one word) before a noun, to say it's ordinary, normal or used all the time.
I wear my everyday shoes to school.
She told us about everyday life in a small village.
This is not a special occasion. It's just an everyday meal.
Everyday English is the English you use in normal conversations.
It is an adjective. It goes in front of a noun: everyday clothes, everyday objects, everyday problems.
Every day: each day
Use every day (two words) when you mean each day. It says how often something happens.
I walk to school every day.
Leo practises the guitar every day.
The library is open every day except Sunday.
Every day is a new chance to learn something.
Every is a describing word, and day is a noun. They are two separate words, doing two separate jobs.
Easy way to tell them apart
Try replacing it with each day:
- Does each day fit? Use every day (two words). I walk to school each day. It works.
- Does each day sound wrong? Use everyday (one word). Each day shoes makes no sense, so it's everyday shoes.
You can also check for a noun right after. Everyday always describes a noun that comes next: everyday life, everyday words.
💡 The OddLingo Trick
One word, one idea. Two words, two ideas.
Everyday is one word because it is one idea: ordinary.
Every day is two words because it is two ideas: every + day. You can even put a word between them: every single day.
⚠️ Common mistakes
How often? Two words.
❌ I brush my teeth everyday.
✅ I brush my teeth every day.
Ordinary? One word.
❌ These are my every day clothes.
✅ These are my everyday clothes.
Good to know
This is the same kind of puzzle as awhile vs a while: one word and two words that look alike but do different jobs.
💬 In a conversation
Sam: Do you read every day?
Mia: Yes. Mostly everyday stuff.
Sam: Like what?
Mia: Cereal boxes.
Sam: That's very everyday.
Mia: Every day. It's good for my everyday English.