Everyday means ordinary, common, or happening regularly as part of normal life. Your everyday routine might include brushing your teeth, eating breakfast, and walking to school. These aren't special occasions; they're the regular things that make up most of your days.

The word helps us distinguish between what's ordinary and what's special. You might wear everyday clothes to school: comfortable jeans and a T-shirt. But for a wedding, you'd wear something fancier than your everyday outfit. An everyday problem, like forgetting your homework folder, is different from a major crisis.

People sometimes use “everyday” to describe something so common that we barely notice it anymore. A smartphone is an everyday object now, even though fifty years ago it would have seemed like science fiction. Everyday language means the normal words people actually use when talking, not fancy vocabulary saved for essays.

Be careful not to confuse everyday (one word, meaning ordinary) with every day (two words, meaning each day). You wear everyday shoes, but you wear shoes every day. If you use your everyday backpack every day, you're using both phrases correctly.