Are we ready for more grammar? This one is a pet peeve of mine, so hopefully my tip can spread throughout the world and end the egregious practice of using “everyday” when we really mean “every day.”
What’s the difference? “Everyday” is an adjective, i.e., it can describe things. “Every day” is a another way of saying “each day.” It’s a phrase. But because it’s one thing to know this and another thing to use them well, here are my tips:
Check to see if “everyday” is correct:
Try to substitute an adjective (such as “normal” or “blue”) for “everyday” and see if it works.
“It was an everyday occurrence” = “It was a normal [or blue] occurrence.”
“These are my everyday pants.” = “These are my normal [or blue] pants.”
Check to see if “every day” is correct:
Try to substitute a day of the week with “every day”.
“I come here every day.” = “I come here Tuesday.”
“Every day, I get the blues.” = “Tuesday, I get the blues.”
Now that we know this, we can apply it in any situation. Is the phrase “Lunch specials are available everyday” correct? Well, are lunch specials available blue? I hope not.