Any Time vs Anytime
Published January 17, 2023. Updated January 17, 2023.
Any time and Anytime are a confusing pair of words: They sound the same and are written almost the same, they mean similar things, and one can be changed into the other under certain conditions, but they are not completely interchangeable.
Here are some definitions and examples to help make the use of these words clearer.
Any time (phrase)
At no particular time; unknown when.
Examples:
The lecture is scheduled for 6:00 o’clock, so it should start at any time.
Hurry up! They’ll be here at any time!
In the two examples above, the phrase any time is used to mean at no particular time or at an unknown time. You know something is going to happen, you just don’t know when. Also, you’ll notice the preposition “at” before any time. When any time is used to mean at no particular time, it is common to see the word “at” in front of it.
Anytime (adverb)
At any time; whenever.
Examples:
Anytime you say we need to talk, it’s always bad news.
My door is always open. You know you can come over anytime.
In the examples above, anytime is used as an adverb to mean “whenever.” If you substitute “whenever” for anytime, it makes sense. For this adverb, you cannot use the preposition “at” in front of it:
*At anytime you say we need to talk, it’s always bad news.
*My door is always open. You know you can come over at anytime.
Note: the asterisk (*) means the sentence is wrong.
In the first incorrect example, using “At” doesn’t make any sense. In the second incorrect example, if you change the adverb anytime into the phrase any time, then the sentence would make sense.
- My door is always open. You know you can come over at any time.
Main Points
- Any time is a phrase that means “at no particular time”, or “at an unknown time”.
- Usually, the preposition “at” is used before the phrase any time.
- Anytime is an adverb that means “whenever.”
- Although the words and their usage are similar, they are not completely interchangeable.