play illustration of a man watching a washing machine overflow
Commonly Confused

'All over sudden' vs. 'All of a sudden'

We'll help you figure it out at once


Is the correct phrase 'all over sudden' or 'all of a sudden'? Senior Editor Emily Brewster explains.

Transcript

Sometimes a word that sounds like the right word and feels like the right word isn't actually the right word. It's an eggcorn. Something that happens sooner than expected doesn't happen "all over sudden," it happens "all of a sudden." Sudden here is an obsolete noun meaning an unexpected occurrence.

Up next

play video title attorney generals
Is It 'Attorney Generals' Or 'Attorneys General'?

 

'Poets laureate'? 'Court-martials'? The curious history of postpositive adjectives in English.

play hot mess
Hot Mess

 

Our research turned up two archaic literal meanings

play video who vs whom
Who vs. Whom

 

Good news for those who feel stuffy saying 'whom.'

play video soup vs soop
An Abbreviated History of American English Spelling

 

Soop, wimmen, and headake did not make the cut

play body parts video
When Body Parts Are Also Verbs

 

Head, shoulders, metaphors, and toes

play video its vs its
Its vs. It's

 

Some practical guidance, and interesting history, about a common mistake.