Every Body vs. Everybody
“Everybody” is an indefinite pronoun meaning everyone. “Every body” is simply the determiner “every” plus the noun “body,” so the open form is correct only when the sentence really means each body rather than all people collectively.
Use “everybody” when you mean “everyone.” Use the two-word phrase “every body” only when “body” is genuinely the count noun and you mean each body individually.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / context | Use | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| all people / everyone | everybody | Use the one-word pronoun. |
| each individual body as a count noun | every body | Use two words because “body” is functioning as the noun. |
| you can replace the expression with “everyone” | everybody | The pronoun is the intended form. |
Quick tests
Decision test
Can you replace the expression with “everyone” without changing the meaning?
If yes: Use “everybody.”
If no: If you literally mean each body as a noun, use “every body.”
Caveat: The two-word form is not an alternative spelling of the pronoun; it is a normal determiner + noun phrase.
Examples
Everybody on the team received the update.
“Everybody” means everyone.
The simulation assigned a mass to every body.
Here “body” is a genuine count noun, so the words stay separate.
Everybody was ready before the doors opened.
Replacing the pronoun with “everyone” preserves the meaning.
Further guidance
Core difference
Use the one-word pronoun.
Fast Test
Use “everybody.” If you literally mean each body as a noun, use “every body.”
Usage Boundary
The two-word form is not an alternative spelling of the pronoun; it is a normal determiner + noun phrase.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- everybody — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Everybody is an indefinite pronoun meaning everyone.
- Every — Cambridge Grammar (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary / English Grammar Today · Every/every one/everyone grammar and word-boundary guidance, including related every constructions
- BODY — Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Direct dictionary evidence for body as an independent noun, establishing the literal two-word phrase some body when some modifies body.