Difference Between Already and All Ready

The two expressions already and all ready sound almost the same and many people don’t realize that there is a difference between these two words. The main difference between already and all ready lies in their meaning. Already, as you all know, is an adverb which means prior to some specified time. All ready is a two-word phrase which means completely ready or prepared. There are some other variations in the meanings of these two words. We’ll explore them further in this article.

Already – Meaning and Usage

As mentioned earlier, already is an adverb. It can basically have two meanings. It can mean before some specified or implied time. Already can also mean surprisingly soon. For example,

He has already informed the management of his decision.

– The adverb already implies that he has informed the management before some point in time.

She is already ten years old, how the time flies!

– This indicates a note of surprise and implies the meaning the child has grown surprisingly quickly.

You can observe this difference in meaning in the following examples.

They have already submitted their assignment.

By the time the paramedics reached the accident, the passenger was already dead.

He has already planned their next holiday.

Chemicals and waste products from the new factory are already filtering into the stream that flows through the factory site.

Her hair is already past her shoulders.

She has already set the table.

All ready – Meaning and Usage

The two-word phrase all ready means completely prepared. It can also mean that everyone in a group is prepared. For example,

Are you all ready?

– Here, all ready refers to the preparedness of everyone in a group. The speaker wants to know whether everyone is ready.

Monique is all ready for her presentation.

– Here, all ready means completely prepared.

The following examples will help you to understand the meaning and usage of the word all ready.

They were all ready to go out.

Jean is all ready to move to her new place.

The new computers are installed, and we are all ready to use them.

If you have trouble differentiating between already and all ready, the best thing to do is remove the ‘all’ or ‘al’ part from the word and see if the word ‘ready’ fits the meaning. The meaning of all ready doesn’t change when you use just ready, but the meaning of already does.

She is all ready.→ She is ready.

They have already paid the bill.→ They have ready paid the bill