Sometime vs Sometimes | Difference Between Sometime and Sometimes

Sometime and Sometimes are two words in the English language that are often confused due to their similar spelling and pronunciation. However, they have different meanings and uses in a sentence.

Sometime vs Sometimes

Meaning of Sometime

Sometime is an adverb that means “at some unspecified point in time” or “formerly.” It refers to a time that is not specific or definite.

Meaning of Sometimes

Sometimes is an adverb that means “occasionally” or “at times.” It refers to an event that happens with some frequency but is not constant.

Differences between Sometime and Sometimes

	Sometime	Sometimes
Meaning	Indefinite or unspecified time in the future	Occasionally or at irregular intervals
Part of speech	Adverb or adjective	Adverb
Specificity	Refers to a single, unspecified instance	Refers to multiple instances
Tense usage	Used with present, past, or future tenses	Used with present tenses
Plural form	Does not have a plural form	Sometimes is a plural form
Time frame	Refers to a vague or unspecific time frame	Refers to a more specific time frame
Frequency	Implies rarity or infrequency	Implies periodicity or intermittence
Article usage	May require an article before a noun	Does not require an article before a noun
Gerund form	Sometime can be used as a gerund	Cannot be used in gerund form
Formality	Generally considered more formal than sometimes	Sometimes is more casual and informal
Collocation	Collocates with nouns to describe a former occupation or status	Does not have any specific collocations
Etymology	Comes from the Old English “sumtīd” meaning some time	Comes from the Middle English “sumtyme” meaning at times

Usage of Sometime

• Used as an adverb to refer to an unspecified time in the past or future.
• Used as an adjective to describe someone who was formerly something. For ex. a sometime actor.
• Used as a noun to describe someone who does something occasionally. For ex. a sometime smoker.

Examples of Sometime

• I will visit you sometime next week.
• She used to be a sometime model.
• I will meet you in the park sometime this evening.
• I remember sometime in the 1990s when we had a same situation.
• He was a sometime professor who taught classes on occasion.

Usage of Sometimes

• Used as an adverb to describe an action that happens occasionally.
• Used to introduce a clause that describes an occasional action or event.

Examples of Sometimes

• I go for running in the morning sometimes
• It’s hard to get up early sometimes on weekends.
• it’s better to be quiet sometimes than to say something rude.
• I like to try new food items sometimes.

Conclusion

Sometime and Sometimes are two commonly confused words in the English language. Sometime refers to an unspecified point in time or a former state or action, while Sometimes refers to an occasional event or action. Understanding the differences between these two words is important for using them correctly in a sentence.