Word Confusion: Every Day versus Everyday

Posted May 9, 2013 by Kathy Davie in Author Resources, Editing, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

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Such a minor detail, that space separating every and day. Yet, it has such import on what is being said.

Every day is something that occurs each and every day.

Everyday is the ordinary things we take for granted. Combing your hair. Waking up. Eating. Preparing a meal. Using the loo. Getting dressed in not-particularly-special clothes. And while sunrise is an everyday thing, it also occurs every day.

Curious About Other Everys?

If you’re curious about other every closed compound words, you may want to check out “Every Body versus Everybody“, “Every Man versus Everyman“, “Every One versus Everyone“, “Every Place versus Everyplace“, “Every Thing versus Everything“, “Every Thing versus Everything“, “Every Way versus Everyway“, and “Every Where versus Everywhere“.

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Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.

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Every Day	Everyday
Sunrise of Taihu Lake is Jason Huen’s own work released into the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. — The sun rises every day.	Portrait of His Mother Peeling a Turnip in Front of a Window by Émile Friant is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. — Just everyday tasks . . .
Part of Grammar:
Adverbial Phrase consisting of a Determiner + Noun	Closed Compound Word Adjective; Noun Plural for the noun: everyday
Each day (if you’re unsure which to use, try substituting “each day”) Daily	Adjective: Happening or used every day Daily Such as is met with every day Commonplace Ordinary Of or for ordinary days, as contrasted with Sundays, holidays, or special occasions Noun: The routine or ordinary day or occasion
Examples:
It rained every day. I get up at six every day. Every day, Dad reads the paper when he gets home from work. You should be brushing your teeth every day. Aim to help someone somehow every day. I learn something new every day.	Adjective: It’s just an everyday thing. Aspirin are sort of an everyday kind of drug. Washing dishes is an everyday chore and so neverending. It was a placid, everyday scene we came upon as we entered the village. It’s an everyday occurrence for Snakey Pete to show up and flash his willy at the neighbors. Naw, these are my everyday clothes. Noun: We use inexpensive plates for everyday.
He went every day to work. He went to work on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc.	He went to everyday work. He had a ho-hum kind of job.
Derivatives:
	Noun: everydayness
History of the Word:
	Middle English, 1325-75, everydayes.

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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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