Anyway vs. any way

What does anyway mean?

Anyway is an adverb which means regardless or in any case. Anyway shows a disregard for what would stop someone from taking a certain action.

For example:

·      Even though she wasn’t invited, she went to the party anyway.

In this example, the woman is disregarding the fact that she wasn’t invited to the party. She’s not letting this stop her from attending.

What does any way mean?

Any way means in any manner or however possible.

For example:

·      She said she would get to the party any way possible.

In this example, the woman will take any action she needs to get to this party.

What’s the difference between anyway and any way?

Anyway means regardless and shows a disregard for things that may stop someone from taking a certain action while any way means in any manner or however possible. If you’re unsure of which word to use, try substituting “any” with “in the”. If the sentence makes grammatical sense, you’re probably looking for any way.

For example:

·      The security guard told them not to enter but they entered anyway/any way.

If we replace “any” with “in the”, the example becomes the following:

·      The security guard told them not to enter but they entered in the way.

This example does not make grammatical sense, so the word we are looking for is anyway.

·      The security guard told them not to enter but they entered anyway.