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"Already" = by now or sooner than expected; "all ready" = completely prepared or everyone is ready.
Side-by-side comparison
"Already" (one word) is a time adverb: something happened before expected or before a reference point. "She's already left" means she left before now.
By the time we arrived at the restaurant, the other guests had already ordered.
I have already told you three times, please stop asking.
She was already asleep when he came home at midnight.
"All ready" (two words) means everything or everyone is prepared. "We're all ready" means everyone is prepared to start.
The luggage is packed and we are all ready to leave for the airport.
The food is all ready, you can come to the table now.
Are the kids all ready? The bus leaves in five minutes.
Common mistake
- •Quick test: can you replace it with "by now" or "previously"? Then it is "already" (one word).
- •Can you replace it with "completely prepared"? Then it is two words: "all ready".
Trick to remember it
- •In "all ready" you can remove "all" and the sentence still works: "We are ready".
- •In "already" you cannot remove anything: it is one inseparable word.
Quick rule
- •"Already" (one word) = by now, sooner than expected (time adverb).
- •"All ready" (two words) = everyone prepared, completely ready.
Did you know?
"Already" comes from Middle English "al redy" (circa 1300), which literally meant "completely ready", the same meaning "all ready" has today. Over time the two words merged and the meaning shifted to a time reference. Today they are distinct words with different meanings, but their shared origin is exactly why so many speakers confuse them.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
It's only 7am and she's _____ at the office! She must have arrived very early.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
Everyone has packed their bags. We're _____ to leave for the airport!
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
"Everyday" (one word) is an adjective meaning ordinary or daily; "every day" (two words) means each day.
"Maybe" (one word) = perhaps, possibly; "may be" (two words) = might be, could be.
One means to receive or agree to something, the other means to exclude or not include.
'Advice' is the guidance you receive (noun); 'advise' is the act of giving that guidance (verb).
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy