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English word choices

Everyday vs Every Day: Examples and Practice

Your everyday shoes might be the shoes you wear every day. One spelling describes the shoes; the other tells us how often you wear them.

The short answer

Everyday describes something ordinary or usual: These are my everyday shoes.
Every day means each day: I wear these shoes every day.

Try replacing the phrase with each day. “I wear these shoes each day” works. “These are my each day shoes” does not.

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Six examples with answers

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Prompt

You mean that you check the timetable each day. I check the timetable ___. Choose everyday or every day.

Answer and explanation

I check the timetable every day. Every day tells us how often you check.

Prompt

These are ordinary shoes, not your special ones. These are my ___ shoes. Choose everyday or every day.

Answer and explanation

These are my everyday shoes. Everyday describes the shoes.

Prompt

She calls on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and the other days too. She calls her brother ___. Choose everyday or every day.

Answer and explanation

She calls her brother every day. The calls happen each day.

Prompt

You want ordinary words you can use in normal conversation. I want to learn ___ words. Choose everyday or every day.

Answer and explanation

I want to learn everyday words. Everyday describes the kind of words.

Prompt

You mean that the café opens on each day of the week. The café opens ___. Choose everyday or every day.

Answer and explanation

The café opens every day. Each day is the meaning here.

Prompt

Losing a key is an ordinary sort of problem, even if it rarely happens to you. Losing a key is an ___ problem. Choose everyday or every day.

Answer and explanation

Losing a key is an everyday problem. Everyday means ordinary, not necessarily daily.

Ordinary does not mean daily

An everyday problem is an ordinary problem. It does not have to happen every single day. And everyday clothes are ordinary clothes, even if you wear something different tomorrow.

Keep two words when you add single: I check the weather every single day.

Reference: Cambridge English Grammar Today: every, including every day and everyday.