Every one of you is gonna git a lickin’,” Mama scolded. “You hear me? Now, everyone scoots upstairs and washes up or else.”
The difference between every one and everyone is distinct, even if it doesn’t seem that way.
Every one is a specific individual or thing, while everyone refers to all members of a group, with no distinctions.
It’s Singles Time!
The two confusions are singular, which means they require a singular verb and the appropriate singular pronoun.
For example:
- Everyone
werewas at the beach yesterday afternoon. - Everyone in the class asked for
theirhis or her grades.
Tricks to Figure Out Which to Use When
You can substitute everybody for everyone.
Every one can be replaced with each or each and every one.
If you’re still not sure, try all of ’em to see which sounds right.
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 Day versus Everyday“, “Every Man versus Everyman“, “Every Place versus Everyplace“, “Every Thing versus Everything“, “Every Way versus Everyway“., and “Every Where versus Everywhere“.
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 One | Everyone |
|---|---|
 — |
 — |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Adverbial Phrase consisting of a Determiner + Noun, singular
Plural for the noun: every one |
Closed Compound Word
Pronoun, indefinite and singular |
| A specific phrase referring to each individual item or the individuals who make up a group
[Used for emphasis] Each one |
Refers to non-specific persons or things in a group
Every person
|
| Examples: | |
| God bless us, every one!
Every one of the brothers was there last night. Every one of these apples is rotten. Each and every one of the cards you gave me was worthless. There are no chocolates left — someone has eaten every one. |
Everyone agreed to convict the defendant, and they voted unanimously.
Everyone needs time to unwind. He knew everyone in the business. Closing the airport during that storm was meant to prevent you and everyone else from dying in a crash. The concert was awesome; everyone was there. Can you let everyone know the food is here? |
| History of the Word: | |
| First recorded in 1175-1225, the Middle English everichon meaning everyone. | |
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.
Resources for Every One versus Everyone
Apple Dictionary.com
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Anxious Youngsters Begin the Chase in a Greased Pig Contest at the Tennessee Consolidated Coal Company First Annual Picnic Held at a Tennessee Valley Authority Lake near Jasper and Chattanooga, <https://visualhunt.com/re/ac7c95>, August 1974, is courtesy of The U.S. National Archives and has no known copyright restrictions, via VisualHunt.
Revised as of 11 Apr 2024
By: Kathy Davie