Word Choice: Each vs. Every

The English language is full of traps. For example, you can usually swap ‘each’ and ‘every’ in a sentence without changing its meaning. But these terms aren’t always interchangeable. And if you’re not sure what to look for when using these terms, errors can slip into your work.

In this post, then, we’re going to offer a few grammatical tips about using ‘each’ and ‘every’ correctly.

Each of a Pair

The main difference between ‘each’ and ‘every’ is that only ‘each’ can be used for a pair of something:

He has a different shoe on each foot. ✓

He has a different shoe on every foot. ✗

Here, using ‘each’ is correct because people only have two feet. The second sentence, by comparison, suggests that the person described has three or more feet. Which leads us on to…

Larger Groups of Three or More…

With groups of three or more things, ‘each’ and ‘every’ are interchangeable:

Each dish was filled to the brim. ✓

Every dish was filled to the brim. ✓

Importantly, not only do ‘each’ and ‘every’ mean the same here, they also fit into the sentence in the same way because both are paired with singular verbs and nouns. You could therefore use either term in a sentence like this without worrying about grammatical errors.

Remember that this applies to groups of three or more things. For only two things, the correct term will always be ‘each’ instead.

Each and Every (Together at Last)

You may also see the phrase ‘each and every’, which is used to add emphasis:

I will cuddle each and every kitten in this room!

This is more forceful than using either ‘each’ or ‘every’ on its own, so it can be more impactful. However, since ‘each’ and ‘every’ mean the same thing in this phrase, it also repeats itself, and you may want to avoid this kind of redundancy in formal writing.

Summary: Each or Every?

To make sure you are using the words ‘each’ and ‘every’ correctly, remember:

• ‘Each’ is used to refer to groups of two or more things
• ‘Every’ is used to refer to groups of three or more things

And while you can use ‘each and every’ together to add emphasis to a sentence, this may not be suitable for formal writing.