Everyday vs. Every day
Everyday, one word, is an adjective meaning "used or seen daily," or "ordinary." "The phone calls were an everyday occurrence."
Every day, two words, is an adverb phrase meaning "daily" or "every weekday." "They go to the coffee shop every day."
How to Differentiate
One trick to remember which is which is to see if you can put another word. "I miss you every day" is the correct thing to say.
Usage
Everyday and every day are different. While everyday means daily, every day means each day.
The word everyday (as one word) is an adjective that modifies the noun it is used with.
Fact Check
Is there a space in everyday? The question is whether to insert a space between the two words every and day, or write them as one word.
The rule that most people follow is that the version with no space, everyday, is used only as an adjective before a noun, as in:
- Don’t let the problems of everyday life get you down.
Clarification
The Bottom Line: Every day is an adjective (every) plus a noun (day), and it means each day.
Examples
Everyday is most commonly used as an adjective meaning daily or, in a more figurative sense, ordinary, as in an everyday occurrence.
The phrase every day means each day—it functions as an adverb to describe how frequently an action is done, as in I try to exercise every day.
Every Single Day
‘Every day’ is a broad term loosely meaning on all occasions. ‘Every single day’ is more emphatic and implies that each has been carefully looked at, and found to conform.
‘It rained on every single day of my holiday!’ has more impact and is literally true.