Anywhere or Any Where?

search our site by Craig Shrives

Should I write "anywhere" or "any where"?

If you're unsure whether to write "anywhere" or "any where," your problem is easily solved. Write "anywhere" (i.e., the one-word version). For example:

• Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. (Minister Martin Luther King)
• If you find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere. (US politician Frank A. Clark)
• I used to work in a fire hydrant factory. You couldn't park anywhere near the place. (Comedian Steven Wright)

The two-word version is a spelling mistake:

• A dream without ambition is like a car without gas...you're not going any where.

Of course, you might be able to concoct a sentence that features the words "any" and "where" next to each other, but, as an adverb of place, "any where" is always a spelling mistake.

It is the same deal with nowhere/no where and also somewhere/some where. The one-word version is correct. The two-word version is a spelling mistake.

Ready for the Test?