⚡ Quick summary
Backward and backwards are used interchangeably as adverbs, with backward being more common in American English and backwards being more common in British English. Only backward is considered standard when used as an adjective.
Backward and backwards only differ by a single letter. Does that one letter make a difference, or are these two words used exactly the same?
In this article, we will define the words backward and backwards, explain the main difference between them, and provide examples of how we typically use them in sentences.
backward or backwards
The words backward and backwards are both used as adverbs to mean “toward the rear,” “toward the past,” “in the reversal of the usual way,” or “toward a less advanced state.” In these senses, backward is more commonly used in American English, and backwards is more commonly used in British English. Both words are considered correct, and they are often used interchangeably.
For example:
- The tractor rolled backward/backwards down the hill.
- We moved backward/backwards on all the progress we made in the past year.
- She wrote her name backward/backwards in her notebook.
However, only backward is also used as an adjective to mean “directed toward the back or the past,” “reversed,” or “behind in time or progress.”
For example:
- The car sped in a backward direction until it hit a stop sign.
- Marco gave a backward glance at the beautiful sunset.
- The industry doesn’t have room for technologically backward companies that don’t use social media.
Note that while only backward is considered standard as an adjective, backwards is often used in casual speech and writing. For example, you may hear someone say The kid wearing the backwards hat is the one that broke the mailbox.
Examples of backward and backwards in a sentence
Let’s take another step forward and look at examples of how we typically use backward and backwards in sentences.
- My sister was wearing her shirt backward/backwards.
- We sang the alphabet backward/backwards.
- The zookeeper slowly walked backward/backwards away from the grouchy lion.
- I watched the dragonfly move in a backward path over the lake.
- The prime minister enacted economically backward policies that ruined the country.
