Typically confused: Everyday vs. Every Day

As an editor, I see these words confused almost every day. One might say it’s an everyday occurrence.

Everyday with no space means “ordinary” or “typical,” as in Tom wore his everyday clothes to work on Fridays. In this case, the clothes Tom wore are what he usually dons at home.

Every day with a space means “each day,” such as Mrs. Crabapple takes attendance every day before beginning her lesson.

An easy way to remember the difference is that the every day meaning each day is two words, just like its definition. You wouldn’t write eachday.

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My name is Rob Bignell. I’m an affordable, professional editor who runs Inventing Reality Editing Service, which meets the manuscript needs of writers both new and published. I also offer a variety of self-publishing services. During the past decade, I’ve helped more than 300 novelists and nonfiction authors obtain their publishing dreams at reasonable prices. I’m also the author of the 7 Minutes a Day… writing guidebooks, four nonfiction hiking guidebook series, and the literary novel Windmill. Several of my short stories in the literary and science fiction genres also have been published.