Afterward or Afterwards: Which Is Correct? (With Examples)

You are typing an email, you reach the part where you want to say “and then,” and your fingers freeze. Afterward or afterwards? One has an extra letter, and suddenly you feel like you are taking a spelling test in front of the whole office. Relax. 

Both words are real, both mean the same thing, and neither one will get you arrested by the grammar police. The only real difference is where you live and which one sounds natural to your readers. Let’s sort it out in about five minutes.

Quick Answer: Afterward or Afterwards?

Both are correct. “Afterward” is the preferred form in American English, while “afterwards” is the favorite in British English. They mean the same thing: at a later time or after something has happened.

If your readers are in the US, go with afterward. If they are in the UK, Australia, or most of the Commonwealth, afterwards will feel more at home. Just stay consistent within one piece of writing.

What Do Afterward and Afterwards Mean?

Afterward and afterwards both mean “at a later time” or “following an event.” They are adverbs that tell the reader what happened next, or when something took place relative to something else.

Here are a few quick examples:

• We watched the game, and afterward we grabbed pizza.
• She felt great afterwards, even though the workout was brutal.
• Nobody said much afterward.
• Call me afterwards and tell me how it went.

Think of them as slightly more formal cousins of “later,” “then,” and “after that.” Similar words include subsequently, thereafter, and following that. The difference is that afterward and afterwards sound natural in almost any situation, from a text message to a business report.

Where Did Afterward and Afterwards Come From?

Afterward comes from the Old English word “æfterweard,” which combined “æfter” (after) with “weard,” a suffix meaning direction. Over time the spelling settled into the modern “afterward.”

The extra s in “afterwards” is a leftover from an old grammatical habit. In earlier forms of English, adding an “s” to a word could turn it into an adverb, similar to how “always” and “sometimes” work today. Both versions showed up in writing centuries ago and have stuck around side by side ever since.

So neither word is a modern mistake or a lazy shortcut. They are two old forms that both survived.

Grammar Breakdown: Are Afterward and Afterwards Adverbs?

Yes, both words are adverbs. They modify verbs and tell us when an action happened. They are not prepositions and they are not conjunctions, which is where most grammar slips begin.

That means you cannot use them to connect to a noun or start a clause the way you can with “after.”

• Correct: We left after the meeting.
• Incorrect: We left afterward the meeting.
• Correct: We left the meeting and went home afterward.
• Correct: After she called, he felt better.
• Incorrect: Afterwards she called, he felt better.

A quick test helps. If a noun or a clause follows the word, you want after. If the word stands on its own and answers the question “when?”, you want afterward or afterwards.

Both words usually appear at the start of a sentence, followed by a comma, or at the end of one. Placing them right in the middle works too, as in “We rested, and afterward we hiked down.”

American English vs British English: Which One Do You Pick?

Americans lean toward “afterward,” and the British lean toward “afterwards.“ This is the single most useful fact about the pair, and it is the reason so many people get confused.

• American English: afterward is more common, though afterwards is not wrong.
• British English: afterwards is more common, and afterward can look slightly odd.
• Australian, Canadian, and other varieties: usually mix both, with a tilt toward the British habit in Australia and a tilt toward the American habit in Canada.

If you are writing for a US audience, such as a blog, a college paper, or a company newsletter, choose afterward. If you are writing for a UK publication, choose afterwards. When your audience is mixed, pick one and use it every time. Switching halfway through a document is the real sin here.

Afterward or Afterwards in Professional Writing

In professional writing, use the form your style guide or audience prefers, and keep it consistent. Most US style guides favor “afterward,” and most UK style guides favor “afterwards.”

In emails, reports, and proposals, both words sound polished and neutral. Try these:

• “We will review the budget on Monday and send the final numbers afterward.”
• “The auditors finished the inspection, and the findings were shared afterwards.”
• “Please complete the survey and submit it afterward.”

If you want a more formal tone, “thereafter” or “subsequently” can work. For most business writing, though, afterward or afterwards is clearer and less stuffy.

A small tip: if you are unsure which style guide applies, check previous documents from the same company. They will tell you more than any rulebook.

Read More: Learnt vs Learned: Which Is Correct in US and UK English?

Afterward or Afterwards in Casual Conversation

In casual speech and texting, people use both without thinking about it. Nobody pauses a dinner conversation to correct someone’s final “s.”

You will hear lines like:

• “Let’s grab coffee afterwards.”
• “I felt awful afterward, but it was worth it.”
• “Text me afterwards, okay?”

In everyday American speech, many people actually say “afterwards” out loud, even though they write “afterward.” That is perfectly normal. Spoken language is looser than written language, and the extra “s” slides in without anyone noticing.

If you are writing a casual blog or social post, go with whichever sounds more like you. Your readers will not check.

Afterward vs Afterwards Comparison Table

The table below shows the differences, similarities, and common confusions at a glance.

Feature	Afterward	Afterwards
Meaning	At a later time	At a later time
Part of speech	Adverb	Adverb
Preferred in US English	Yes	Accepted
Preferred in UK English	Accepted	Yes
Formality	Neutral to formal	Neutral to formal
Example	We ate dinner and walked afterward.	We ate dinner and walked afterwards.

And here is how they compare with look alike words that cause trouble:

Word	What It Is	Example
Afterward / Afterwards	Adverb meaning “later”	She apologized afterward.
After	Preposition or conjunction	She apologized after the meeting.
Afterword	Noun, a closing note in a book	The author wrote a short afterword.
Thereafter	Formal adverb meaning “from then on”	He never spoke of it thereafter.

Common Mistakes With Afterward and Afterwards

The most common mistakes are mixing them up with “afterword,” using them in place of “after,” and switching styles in the same document. All three are easy to fix once you spot them.

Here is the usual list:

• Writing “afterword” when you mean “afterward.” An afterword is the section at the end of a book. It is not a time word.
• Using afterward as a preposition. “Afterward the movie” is wrong. Use “after the movie.”
• Mixing both forms in one article. If paragraph one says afterward and paragraph six says afterwards, readers may think you made a typo.
• Splitting the word in two. “After ward” is not a word. Neither is “after wards.”
• Assuming one is a mistake. Neither is. If someone corrects you, politely send them this article.

Spell checkers will not flag “afterword” in the wrong place, because it is technically a real word. Read your sentence aloud and ask yourself if you mean the book part or the time part.

Real Life Example: When One Letter Changes Everything

A single wrong word can make a sentence mean something completely different. Here is a short story to prove it.

Dana was applying for a job at a publishing house. Her cover letter ended with, “I would love to discuss my experience with you, and I can send writing samples afterword.”

The hiring manager smiled and replied, “Happy to see samples. Just not sure why you plan to send them as a closing note to a book.”

Dana turned bright red. She had meant “afterward.” She got the interview anyway, but she spent the whole call hoping nobody would bring it up. Someone did. It became a running joke in the office.

The lesson is simple. For a publishing job, an “afterword” is a very specific thing, and getting it wrong is awkward. In most other jobs it would simply look like a typo, but a typo in the first impression is still a typo.

Data and Trends: How People Actually Use These Words

Language data shows a clear regional split, with “afterward” leading in the US and “afterwards” leading in the UK. Dictionaries such as Merriam Webster and Oxford note this pattern, and large text collections like Google Books Ngram Viewer show the same story over time.

A few patterns stand out:

• American writing tends to favor afterward, while British writing tends to favor afterwards.
• “Afterwords” with an extra “s” is often a misspelling of the book term or a mix up with afterwards.
• People searching “afterward or afterwards” are usually trying to settle a quick writing question, often while working on an email, essay, or article.
• Related searches tend to include “toward or towards,” “forward or forwards,” and “backward or backwards,” because the same rule applies to all of them.

Exact percentages shift depending on the data source and the time period, so treat any single number with caution. What stays steady is the regional preference. That is the part you can rely on.

Memory Trick: How to Remember Which One to Use

Think “A for American, A for afterward” and “S for Sir, S for afterwards.” The extra “s” in afterwards can remind you of the British habit of adding an “s” to words like “towards” and “backwards.”

A few more tricks:

• Afterward has no “s,” just like the American way of keeping spelling short, as in “color” instead of “colour.”
• Afterwards has the extra “s,” much like the British “towards” and “whilst.”
• If you are ever stuck, remember that the word you choose does not change the meaning, only the regional flavor.

For the book term, remember that an afterword has the word “word” tucked inside, because it is made of words that come at the end of a book.

Step by Step Guide to Using Afterward or Afterwards Correctly

To use the word correctly, decide on your audience, pick one form, and check that it stands alone as an adverb. It takes about ten seconds once you know the routine.

1. Identify your audience. Is your reader American, British, or mixed?
2. Pick your form. American readers get “afterward.” British readers get “afterwards.”
3. Check the grammar. If a noun or clause follows, switch to “after.”
4. Place it naturally. Put it at the start, middle, or end of the sentence, wherever it sounds smoothest.
5. Be consistent. Use the same form from the first paragraph to the last.
6. Proofread for “afterword.” If you meant the time word, make sure you did not type the book word.

Do that, and you will never have to Google this again. Probably.

Mini Quiz: Test Yourself

Try these eight questions to see if you have the rule down. Answers are listed right after.

1. Which spelling is more common in American English?

• a. Afterwards
• b. Afterward
• c. After ward

2. Choose the correct sentence.

• a. We left afterward the show.
• b. We left after the show.
• c. We left afterwords the show.

3. Which word names a closing section of a book?

• a. Afterward
• b. Afterwards
• c. Afterword

4. True or false: “Afterwards” is incorrect in American English.

• a. True
• b. False

5. Fill in the blank for a UK audience: “We had lunch, and went for a walk ______.”

• a. afterwards
• b. afterword
• c. after wards

6. Which sentence uses the word correctly?

• a. She cried afterward the movie ended.
• b. She cried afterward.
• c. She cried afterword.

7. Which pair follows the same pattern as afterward and afterwards?

• a. Toward and towards
• b. Word and words
• c. Ward and wards

8. What is the best advice when writing a long article?

• a. Alternate between both forms to keep it interesting.
• b. Pick one form and use it throughout.
• c. Avoid both words entirely.

Quiz Answers

1. b. Afterward is preferred in American English.
2. b. “After the show” works because “after” is a preposition.
3. c. Afterword is the closing section of a book.
4. b. False. It is accepted, just less common.
5. a. Afterwards is the British favorite.
6. b. “She cried afterward.” stands alone as an adverb.
7. a. Toward and towards follow the same regional pattern.
8. b. Consistency matters more than which form you choose.

FAQs

Is it afterward or afterwards?

Both are correct. Afterward is the standard choice in American English, and afterwards is the standard choice in British English. They carry exactly the same meaning.

Is “afterwards” wrong in American English?

No. Many Americans use it in speech and in writing, and dictionaries list it as an accepted variant. It simply appears less often than “afterward” in formal American publications.

What is the difference between afterward and afterword?

Afterward is an adverb that means “later.” Afterword is a noun that means a short section at the end of a book. They sound the same but do very different jobs.

Can I use afterward at the start of a sentence?

Yes. “Afterward, we went home.” is perfectly fine. Add a comma after it for a natural pause. The same is true for “afterwards.”

Does the same rule apply to toward and towards?

Yes. Toward is more common in American English, and towards is more common in British English. The same goes for “forward and forwards,” “backward and backwards,” and “upward and upwards,” though a few of these pairs have small usage quirks.

Conclusion

Afterward and afterwards are the same word wearing two outfits. Use afterward for American readers and afterwards for British readers, then stay consistent. Remember that both are adverbs, so they never take a noun after them, and keep the book term “afterword” far away from your time sentences.

Next time that extra “s” tries to stress you out, take a breath, pick your audience, and move on. Your sentence will be fine. Afterward, you can celebrate with a coffee, or a cup of tea afterwards if you are feeling British.