What’s the difference between sometime vs some time? Considering there’s only one space between them, it’s surprising how the meaning changes. The same goes from sometimes and some times, although the latter is less commonly used.
It’s understandable if you have been getting these words mixed up, since they all sound so similar. Keep reading to learn exactly what the difference is, and to see some examples of how to use them correctly.
What’s the difference between sometime vs some time?
Let’s look first at sometime vs some time. These words are both quite common in everyday English.
Sometime is an adverb used to talk about the future
Sometime (one word) talks about an indefinite time in the future. It means that we intend for something to happen but we don’t know when. For example:
- Your new house looks beautiful; I must come and visit sometime.
- My husband wants to visit Germany sometime.
- This report isn’t very urgent; I’ll do it sometime soon.
Other phrases we could use are:
- Some day
- One of these days
- At some point
Check out some idioms to talk about the future, too.
Some time refers to a period of time
Some time (two words) means a period of time, usually a significant period of time. For example:
- I haven’t seen my friend for some time.
- Your injury will take some time to heal.
- Please spend some time reading the instructions before you begin.
It can be emphasised by saying ‘quite some time’. There are some fun time idioms that may also be helpful in these situations.
Sometimes vs some times
Sometimes is an adverb of frequency
Sometimes has a similar meaning to occasionally, now and then, or once in a while.
It is most commonly used in the simple present tense to talk about something that happens from time to time but not often. For example:
- I sometimes play badminton, but I prefer playing tennis.
- My job is very demanding; sometimes I don’t even have time to stop for lunch.
- My car is old and sometimes breaks down, but luckily I know a reliable mechanic.
It might also be used in the simple past tense to talk about something that used to happen from time to time. For example:
- When I lived in London, I would sometimes go sightseeing.
- When I was a child, my parents sometimes took me to the zoo.
Sometimes is not usually used to talk about the future. You can read more about this and similar time transition words if you want to vary your vocabulary in these scenarios.
Some times refers to several instances or periods
If you’re wondering whether to use sometimes or some times, chances are that ‘sometimes’ is correct. That’s because it’s very rare to see ‘some times’ in a grammatically correct sentence.
Technically, you could use it if you’re talking about several occurrences of something happening, or a selection of periods in time. For example:
“Jed hit the ball 98 times during the game. Some times he scored a home run.”
But, even here, it would sound more natural to say ‘a few times’ or ‘several times’.
You can learn about the difference between a few and few in our separate guide.
Sometime vs some time vs sometimes vs some times
Let’s quickly summarise the difference between each of these before we continue to look at some specific examples.
- Sometime means ‘at some point in the future’
- Some time means ‘an amount of time’
- Sometimes means ‘occasionally’
- Some times is not really worth worrying about because it’s unlikely you’ll ever need it.
Is it sometime ago or some time ago?
Because here we are referring to a point that is an unspecified amount of time in the past, it’s correct to say ‘some time ago‘. You could also say ‘a while ago’.
Learn more: When do we say a while vs awhile?
Is it some time or sometime this week?
Here you are talking about some point in the future, but narrowing it down by specifying this week. So the correct phrase is ‘sometime this week‘. An alternative is ‘one day this week’.
The same applies to any future point in time:
- Sometime today
- Sometime next week
- Sometime in June
- Sometime next year
- Sometime after I retire
Our article about will vs going to might also help when talking about future plans.
These are some of the most common situations where people get confused about using sometime or some time. Do you have any other examples? You are welcome to leave a comment below if so.
Or, keep browsing our articles about other commonly confused words.
