The difference between anyway and anyways
So many people are confused as to the proper way to use the two words “anyway” and “anyways”. They are aware of the fact that both words have similar meanings but they are not sure if “anyways” is even a word. They do know that both words are often used interchangeably.
Anyway is an adverb in the English language, which means that it modifies a verb or another adverb. When you add /s/ to the end of a word, this makes it plural – it means more than one. Only nouns can be made plural. You cannot make an adverb plural, which means that those who believe that there is no such word as “anyways’ are correct.
So how did this word find its way into the English language? The meaning of anyway is “anyhow” or “by any means”. An example of the word can be found in this sentence:
I didn’t care about it anyway.
You will find anyway in the dictionary, but there is no entry for anyways.
Anyways is a slang word and is perhaps colloquial in that it may be more commonly used by people in a specific region. It is more informal speech. In the US, it is acceptable to use either of the words when speaking, but only “anyway” is acceptable in writing.
Summary
- Anyway is an adverb, but there is no such word as anyways.
- People do use the words as if they were synonymous.
- Anyways is a slang word that is used more often in the US than in any other part of the world.