Practice
Nowadays or now a days?
I usually pay bills online nowadays. The word looks as if it could have several parts, but standard modern English writes it as one word.
Write nowadays as one word when you mean at the present time, and use it naturally in a sentence about current habits or conditions.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
Nowadays, many people shop online. /ˈnaʊədeɪz ˈmɛni ˈpiːpəl ʃɑp ɑnˈlaɪn/
The short answer
Use nowadays, one word, for something that is true or usual at the present time. Do not write now a days when you mean nowadays in standard modern English.
Many people keep their calendars on their phones nowadays.
Why it works: Nowadays tells us that this habit is common in the present time.
5 more examples
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Nowadays, the library sends reminders by email.
The word introduces a current practice, so it comes at the beginning of the sentence.
Not this:The library sent paper reminders
years ago. What changes: Years ago refers to an earlier period. Nowadays refers to the present period. -
My brother cooks dinner at home more often nowadays.
Nowadays at the end adds a present-time comparison to the habit of cooking at home.
Not this:My brother cooked at home
last night. What changes: Last night names one finished time. Nowadays describes a general present period. -
People can renew many documents online nowadays.
The sentence describes what is possible in the present time.
Not this:People renewed the documents at the office
before the website opened. What changes: The contrast gives an earlier situation before the current online option. -
Nowadays, our team meets by video when someone is traveling.
The opening word frames the whole sentence as a current arrangement.
Not this:Our team met in one room for every meeting
in the past. What changes: In the past points backward. Nowadays points to the current period. -
It is easier to compare prices nowadays.
Nowadays describes the present condition of comparing prices.
Not this:Comparing prices
was harderwhen stores did not list them online. What changes: The past form was harder provides the earlier comparison.
Read the full guide
Choose the spelling first, then check the meaning. If you could say these days or at the present time, nowadays is usually the word you need. It is an adverb, so it adds time information to the whole statement rather than naming a person, place, or object.
Use one word for the present time
Nowadays is one word in standard modern English. It means at the present time. Use it when your sentence describes a habit, condition, or change that belongs to the current period.
Nowadays, my parents send photos through a messaging app.
The sentence describes a current habit, so nowadays is one word.
Complete the sentence about a current habit: ___, I read the news on my phone.
Use Nowadays: Nowadays, I read the news on my phone.
Compare the present with the past
Nowadays often helps you compare the present with an earlier time. You do not have to state the past in the same sentence, but a past detail can make the comparison clearer.
We use shared documents for the project nowadays.
The sentence suggests a current method. You could add that the team used printed copies before.
Choose the word for the current period: We reserve train tickets online ___.
Use nowadays: We reserve train tickets online nowadays.
Choose a natural position
Put nowadays at the beginning to set the time frame before the main message. Put it at the end when you want the action or fact to come first. Both positions are common.
Nowadays, the bus arrives every fifteen minutes.
The same idea can also be written as: The bus arrives every fifteen minutes nowadays.
Move the time word to the beginning: My aunt orders groceries online nowadays.
Nowadays, my aunt orders groceries online.
Do not split the spelling
When you mean at the present time, do not separate the word into now a days. The modern standard spelling is nowadays. The parts may be easy to hear, but spelling follows the established written form.
Nowadays, customers can check an order before it ships.
Write nowadays, not now a days, for this present-time meaning.
Which spelling fits standard modern writing: nowadays or now a days?
Use nowadays as one word.
Choose a more exact time word when needed
Nowadays describes a general present period. Use now when something is happening at this moment. Use today when the current day matters. These words can all refer to the present, but they give different amounts of detail.
I am on the train now, but I usually work from home nowadays.
Now tells us the exact current moment. Nowadays tells us about a usual present arrangement.
Choose the word for a general present habit: I usually call my family by video ___.
Use nowadays: I usually call my family by video nowadays.
Before you go
Remember this
Use nowadays, one word, when you mean at the present time. It can begin a sentence or come near the end. Check whether these days would keep the meaning. If it would, nowadays is a useful choice.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Nowadays or now a days?"
Is nowadays one word or two words?
Write nowadays as one word when you mean at the present time or these days. In standard modern English, now a days is not the spelling for that meaning. Check the whole sentence: if it describes a current habit or condition, nowadays is the usual form.
Nowadays, the library sends reminders by email.
Can nowadays begin a sentence?
Yes. Nowadays can begin a sentence when you want to establish the current time period first. A comma after an opening Nowadays is common: Nowadays, the office accepts online forms. The same word can also come near the end of a sentence.
The library sent paper reminders years ago.
What is the difference between nowadays and now?
Nowadays describes the present period in a broad way, often compared with an earlier time. Now usually refers to this exact moment. You can say I am waiting now, but I work from home nowadays. The first sentence is immediate; the second is a general current habit.
My brother cooks dinner at home more often nowadays.
What is the difference between nowadays and today?
Today refers to the current day. Nowadays refers to current life or habits more generally. Use today for a plan that belongs to this day, such as I have a meeting today. Use nowadays when the point is a usual present pattern rather than one date.
My brother cooked at home last night.
Why might I see a hyphenated spelling in an old text?
Older publications may use spellings that differ from current standard forms. Keep a quotation or historical source as it appears when accuracy requires it. In your own ordinary modern writing, use nowadays as one word for the present-time adverb.
People can renew many documents online nowadays.