Anyway vs Anyways
Compare it Versus > Grammar > Difference between anyway and anyways
Published on 15 October 2015, updated 2 January 2023
Edited by Mary S., secondary school English teacher
In short, both anyway and anyways mean the same thing.
The main difference is that anyways is the informal version of the word anyway.
Both are accepted with anyway being the safe and formal way to write it.
Contents
Anyway and Anyways
Every language has its share of correct and colloquial versions of words and concepts.
English language is certainly no exception to this rule. While colloquial version of a language is acceptable in its spoken form owing to its informal tone, writing requires a more formal approach and ensuring correct usage of words is imperative.
It is at this point that writers are often confused as regards certain pairs of words like toward and towards, back yard and backyard and so on. Another commonly used pair that frequently causes confusion is that of anyway or anyways and the onus is on the user to learn which one to use while writing.
Meaning of anyway
‘Anyway’ is a common adverb meaning in any case, regardless, in any event or nevertheless. Its presence in a sentence is indicative of something continuing or the topic of discussion being changed by the writer.
For example, look at the following sentence:
Anyway, it is time to move on with my life.
This sentence indicates the continuation of action from the past into the future. In sharp contrast is the following sentence wherein the word ‘anyway’ has been employed to change the course of topic:
I was never comfortable with numbers, but decided to handle them anyway.
Meaning of anyways
Anyways simply means the same thing but it is the informal or colloquial version.
Anyways evolved as the plural of anyway and is correct in its stance but its usage is restricted solely to informal mediums. It is similar to words like ‘towards’ or ‘unawares’ which were the outcome of an era when it was popular to place a suffix of ‘s’ after every adverb.
Therefore, it is neither right and nor is it wrong, it could only be best described as different.
Anyways or anyway – which one should I use?
Because anyway is the older or classical version of the two words, it is preferred by prominent writers and authors and hence is a hallmark of formal writing.
Therefore if you are ever in doubt, stick to anyway.
Popularity of the search terms anyway and anyways online
When searching for the exact term “anyway” on Google, the search engine returns nearly 500 million search results.
In comparison, searching for the exact term “anyways” returns about 72 million results on the same search engine on the same day in January 2023.
This suggests that “anyway” is the more commonly used and in accordance to the above, the more acceptable and formal version of the two.
When we checked the sources carefully, we discovered also anyway is restricted to more academic usage while anyways is found more so in blogs, forums and other forms of casual writing online.
Do you have anything to add to our anyways or anyway article?
Which one do you prefer and why?