Anyplace versus Any Place

What is the Difference Between Anyplace and Any Place?

When to Use Anyplace

Anyplace is an informal synonym of the word anywhere, found in colloquial and nonstandard speech. Anywhere, of course, refers to an unspecified location to describe where an action happens.

The statement “They could be anywhere!” describes the unknown nature of the true location of the sentence’s subject. Replacing anywhere with anyplace would not change someone’s understanding of the sentence.

That said, anyplace is, at best, a colloquial variant of anywhere. It is common in casual, spoken English, especially in informal settings amongst familiar acquaintances. In writing, however, it is considered nonstandard and inappropriate for formal writing scenarios.

When to Use Any Place

The phrase any place consists of an adjective, any, that modifies the noun place. Any place is, therefore, a noun phrase.

Any place means a nonspecific location. The exact location may not actually matter, like in the phrase any place at the table, or it may be unknown, like the statement avoid any place with bedbugs.

Summary

Is it anyplace or any place? While these words have all the same letters, one is widely accepted, and one is widely rejected.

Any place is a phrase that refers to an unspecified location.

Anyplace is a colloquial variant for anywhere that is considered too informal for serious writing.