⚡ Quick summary
The word anymore is an adverb that means “any longer” (as in I don’t live there anymore) or “nowadays” (as in Things are too expensive anymore). The phrase any more is used to refer to an additional amount of something (as in Do you have any more doughnuts left, or are they sold out?)
Read on for a full explanation of the difference between anymore and any more and why that single space makes a difference here as well as for similar terms.
When to use any more or anymore
In American English, the single word anymore has a separate and distinct meaning from the two-word phrase any more.
The word anymore is an adverb that means “any longer” or “nowadays.”
For example:
- My cousin doesn’t live here anymore—she moved out last week.
- Do they still make CD players anymore?
- Anymore, it seems like you have to know someone to get a job.
The two-word phrase any more is typically used to refer to an additional amount of something. Use of the phrase is particularly common in questions about whether there is an additional amount of something or any amount of something left.
For example:
- I simply cannot eat any more meatloaf.
- Do we have any more chairs in the closet?
Here is a tip to remember if you should use anymore or any more: as a two-word phrase, any more has more words in it than the single word anymore, which is a reminder that any more is used to refer to more—additional amounts of things.
Examples of anymore and any more used in a sentence
These example sentences help to illustrate the difference between anymore and any more.
- Robert doesn’t write books anymore. (Robert no longer writes books.)
- Robert hasn’t written any more books since last year. (The amount of books that Robert has written hasn’t increased.)
- I’m not going into that spooky house anymore. (I entered the house previously, but I will not do it again.
- I’m not going into any more spooky houses. (I will not enter any other spooky houses.)
- I can’t eat cheese anymore. (I used to eat cheese, but now I cannot—perhaps due to dietary reasons.
- I can’t eat any more cheese. (I’ve eaten all the cheese I can eat—I’m full.)
Words similar to anymore
The change in meaning and grammatical function that happens with anymore and any more also happens in other terms that include the word any.
For example:
anytime: She can visit anytime.
any time: This shaky bridge could collapse at any time.
anyone: Not just anyone can do this job.
any one: There are nine suspects, and any one of them could have done it.
anyway: I told him not to, but he did it anyway.
any way: You can decorate the cake any way you like.
