‘Everyday’ and ‘every day’ are both correct but used in different contexts, and research shows some of us confuse them.
This is what we should know:
everyday
This is a single word and it’s an adjective. It simply means ordinary, usual, typical, common, daily, etc.
Examples:
- It’s an everyday event.
- He doesn’t look like your everyday lawyer in that funny suit.
If you’re confused about when to use this word, replace it with an adjective such as good (It’s a good/an everyday event) and you’re on track if it’s correct.
Now, let’s use every day and everyday together:
- Every day, he goes shopping for his everyday needs.
- It’s an everyday occurrence, so we look out for more every day.
every day
This is a phrase that means each day. Here, every and day are two separate words.
Examples:
- We saw each other every day for six years.
- Maria will do the dishes every day for the next three weeks.
Just think of every as an adjective modifying the noun day. Similar phrases are: every man, every house, every phone, every step. You can replace every with each in each of these examples.