Is It *Now a Days or Nowadays? | Meaning & Spelling

Nowadays is an adverb meaning “at present” or “in comparison with a past time.”

“Now a days,” written with spaces, is sometimes used instead of nowadays. However, this is not correct and should be avoided. Other variants such as “now-a-days,” “now days,” “nowdays,” and “nowaday” are also wrong.

Examples: Now a days and nowadays in a sentence
  • Now a days, many people work from home.
  • Nowadays, many people work from home.
  • April used to work for a large firm, but now a days she runs a small legal practice.
  • April used to work for a large firm, but nowadays she runs a small legal practice.

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How to use nowadays in a sentence

Nowadays is an adverb meaning “at the present time.” It’s used to draw a comparison between the present and the past. When used at the start of a sentence, nowadays is followed by a comma.

Examples: Nowadays in a sentence
Jason and I used to touch base every week, but nowadays we rarely talk.

Nowadays, there are many streaming platforms.

Note
Nowadays is considered quite vague and should be avoided in academic writing. Instead, indicate a more specific timespan such as “since 2018.”

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If you want to know more about commonly confused words, definitions, common mistakes, and differences between US and UK spellings, make sure to check out some of our other language articles with explanations, examples, and quizzes.

Frequently asked questions

What is a synonym for nowadays?

Some synonyms for nowadays include:

  • At present
  • At this time
  • Currently
  • In this day and age
  • Now
  • These days
  • Today
Is nowadays a word?

Yes, nowadays is an adverb meaning “at present” or “in comparison with the past.” It’s always written as one word (not as “now a days”).

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Ryan, E. (2023, March 14). Is It *Now a Days or Nowadays? | Meaning & Spelling. Scribbr. Retrieved March 25, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/common-mistakes/now-a-days/

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Eoghan Ryan

Eoghan has a lot of experience with theses and dissertations at bachelor's, MA, and PhD level. He has taught university English courses, helping students to improve their research and writing.