![]() If you have a preposition, you need the two-word version: They could call at any time. You can’t use anytime with a preposition like at.Anytime is an adverb that means “whenever” or “at any time.” You can use it like you would any other adverb: Call me anytime.It might look a little old-fashioned, but it won’t be wrong. When in doubt, write any time as two words.However, there are some additional guidelines that can help you tell the difference: These are the grammar rules for any time versus anytime. When discussing an amount of time: use any time.As a conjunction : either any time or anytime.As an adverb: either any time or anytime.anytimeĪlthough their meanings are the same, the difference between any time and anytime is in how they’re used. However, some readers still consider it a casualism, so you may want to stick to the two-word version for extremely formal writing. But it’s now perfectly acceptable to write anytime as one word when you’re using it as an adverb. Children in the United States are typically taught the use of anytime, however they are also taught the words any and time as their own entities and that they mean the same things.A century ago, it was standard to write any time as two words in all contexts. She will arrive anytime between 7:00 and 8:00 pm. ![]() Anytime is sometimes described as a simply a casualism of any time, but note that in American English, anytime is the more common form. Any time was the original word which was developed in the 18th century and then evolved into anytime over the years.Ĥ. Anytime is most often used at the beginning or end of a sentence, but it can also follow a verb. Any time is specifically used more when the adverb ‘at’ precedes the word.ģ. Anytime is the Americanized version of the British any time. 'Any time' could be consolidated into one word however, this is unusual. In fact, 'soon' is a concise synonym of 'any time now'. Anytime and any time share the same definition and are located in the same place in the dictionary. 6 Answers Sorted by: 5 It means that the event will happen soon any time from now on - but definitely soon. There are few differences between any time and anytime, and therefore if used interchangeably it should be permitted in both British and American forms of English.ġ. While any time is two words and one would logically conclude this to mean that it is not similar to anytime, this cannot be farther from the truth. In this case, the preposition is the word at. This helps a child who sees both versions to comprehend that it is not a misspelling, but rather a difference of opinions on how certain words which mean the same things should be spelled. If you wanted to use the single word version anytime, you would need to remove the preposition first. In grade school, children are taught to use anytime as the proper form of both words, however they are also instructed as to the meaning of the words any and time as separate entities. For example when someone says come by anytime, anytime is another word for a number which represents a time, such as 6pm or 4pm. The corpus is most useful for understanding how 'any time now. 'Any time now' appears in COCA 73 times 'anytime now' in COCA, 24 when looking at categories such as fiction, 'any time now' is still the winner, but the difference is negligible. Both forms of the word anytime are used as adverbs describing a certain time, which is a noun. There does not seem to be a strong convention about when to write 'any time now' as one or two words. Interestingly enough anytime was not used until the 18th century, as the English language was developing from the English spoken in the United Kingdom. It is in the dictionary that the differences between the two words are made clear. Anytime is preferred in American English because it is the quicker use of the word, our fast-paced lives don’t need the extra half second to separate a word that means the same when it is all together.īoth any time and anytime can be found in the dictionary after the words anything and anyway. The word ‘at’ is said to create a thorough separation between the two words, such as ‘you can come by at any time’, or ‘your car can be ready at any time’. The proper way to use any time is when there is the word ‘at’ preceding ‘any time’. While neither is incorrect or inappropriate in the English language it is said that the separation of the two words was influenced by Britain’s use of the word. They both mean at any point in time or whenever. Any time and anytime are defined in Webster’s dictionary as the same thing. While there may not appear to be any differences between the words any time and anytime there are some differences which can clearly differentiate the two words from one another.
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