The engineering manager I worked with scheduled biweekly check-ins, even when she was just acting as the person’s safety net. Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. From everyday scheduling to crucial business communications, accurate use of this term makes your language precise and effective. Mastery of these terms shows nuanced understanding of language, enabling more effective communication. For example, a pay schedule labeled as biweekly may be mistaken as semi-monthly, which happens twice a month on fixed dates. Well, when you are a reader or listener, we’re afraid the best you can do is to approach biweekly and bimonthly with a bit of side-eye—and perhaps the kind of sorrow aroused by circumstances beyond your control or power to repair.
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Weekly is an adjective or adverb, depending on its usage, that means once a week. Having Payroll and Time Tracking in BambooHR makes gathering hourly payroll information and submitting it correctly much simpler. Sign up (it’s free!) to see how BambooHR saves you time and money by combining multiple systems into one complete HR platform. Since every calendar year has 52 weeks, this results in a total of 26 paychecks per year.
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- This is probably because they assume it is a compound word that has hyphens.
- The standard way of writing the term is as one word without a hyphen, although some people do use a hyphen and it is acceptable.
- Understanding whether to write “biweekly” as one word or “bi weekly” as two is vital for clear communication.
- Rich vocabulary helps paint a clearer picture, reduces ambiguity, and elevates your writing style.
- Using hyphens correctly can be difficult, and you do not want to make a mistake when writing biweekly.
- Remember, clarity leads to better understanding.
This article aims to dissect the nuances of this term, exploring its forms as a noun, adjective, and verb. Log in or sign up to add your own related words. Remember, clarity leads to better understanding. When in doubt, specify explicit time frames like “every two weeks” or “twice a week” to be safe. Always consider the context, purpose, and your audience. By the end, you’ll know exactly when and how to use both forms correctly, along with some handy tips to avoid common mistakes.
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Remember, while “biweekly” is the more common and accepted form, always be clear in your context to avoid confusion. Many people find this topic confusing because the term “biweekly” can be tricky — it can mean twice a week or every two weeks, depending on context. The term biweekly meeting might mean that it happens twice a week or every two weeks—both senses of the word are commonly used.
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Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone interested in perfecting your grammar, this guide will be a game changer. French-English dictionary, translator, and learning Spanish-English dictionary, translator, and learning English dictionary and learning for Spanish speakers Over 500,000 expert-authored dictionary and thesaurus entries From bi- + week + -ly.
Adherence to grammar rules, including the correct spelling and punctuation, is vital for clear communication. Through examples, we’ll unravel the correct spelling and punctuation, highlighting the importance of adhering to grammar rules. Clear communication is necessary to avoid confusion with the twice-a-week meaning. This term can also mean every two weeks in various contexts.
Biannual is more straightforward, as it’s only used to mean twice a year. This means that paychecks will be issued once every two weeks, usually on the same day. To avoid confusion, most say “twice a week” or “once every two weeks.” Learn a new word every day.
When in doubt, specify “every two weeks” or “twice a week” to make your meaning perfectly clear. Using these can elevate your clarity depending on the context. Knowing the rules isn’t enough—you should also understand the best way to incorporate these terms into your writing.
- Whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone interested in perfecting your grammar, this guide will be a game changer.
- A semiweekly meeting, on the other hand, occurs twice a week.
- This term can also mean every two weeks in various contexts.
- First things first, let’s clarify what these terms mean and why confusion often happens between them.
- Biweekly is most often used in professional settings to describe the frequency of meetings or how often workers are paid.
- So while most people use it to mean once every two weeks, both definitions are grammatically correct.
So, now you know the difference between “biweekly” and “bi weekly”! Hopefully, this comprehensive guide gives you the clarity and confidence to use “biweekly” correctly and effectively. Remember, clarify your intent when using “biweekly” to ensure your audience understands exactly what you mean. Using precise and varied vocabulary—like “biweekly,” “semimonthly,” “fortnightly”—enhances your clarity and professionalism. In a nutshell, biweekly refers to something occurring every two weeks or twice a week, depending on the context.
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To calculate biweekly pay for an hourly employee, multiply the number of hours worked in a two-week period by the hourly rate. For example, if you want to establish a biweekly pay schedule, you might choose to pay your employees every other Friday. However, in the UK bi-weekly was more popular than biweekly until the mid-1980s. However, biweekly can also refer to things that happen twice per month.
The standard way of writing the term is as one word without a hyphen, although some people do use a hyphen and it is acceptable. Furthermore, in the above examples, biweekly is an adjective that describes a noun. Biweekly as one word without a hyphen is the correct version. The usage of “bi-weekly” maintains consistency between UK and US English.
Although it’s mostly used to refer to a “twice monthly” occurrence, it’s important to provide context when using this word to explain which definition you’re using. A biweekly meeting with your manager takes place once every two weeks unless otherwise specified. British people use the word fortnight—which derives from the old English word for “fourteen nights”—to refer to events that occur once every two weeks. So while most people use it to mean once every two weeks, both definitions are grammatically correct.
Clarity on this topic isn’t just about grammar; it also affects how you communicate plans, schedules, and even work-related deadlines. ” If you’ve ever been unsure about whether to write it as one word or two, don’t worry—you’re not alone. It can be confusing due to its ambiguity, as it can be interpreted as either happening twice a week or once every two weeks. To see the translation, please select a language from the options available.
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Accurate application of “biweekly” helps avoid misunderstandings in both professional and casual writing. Writing the term bi weekly as two words without a hyphen is incorrect. In American English, using hyphens for words with prefixes, such as biweekly, was more popular in the early 1900s than today. Some people write the term bi-weekly as two words with a hyphen. Using hyphens correctly can be difficult, and you do not want to make a mistake when writing biweekly.
Whether you’re preparing for exams, improving communication, or polishing your writing, GrammarSir.com is your trusted guide to mastering English. Our mission is to help students, teachers, and lifelong learners strengthen their language skills through clear lessons, practical examples, and easy-to-follow tips. Biweekly is an adjective and adverb used to describe events, payments, or activities biweekly meaning that happen on a two-week cycle. Clarifying these nuances is key to using the term correctly. You’ll learn its precise definition, usage tips, common mistakes to avoid, and how it fits into everyday language.