every third day vs every three days

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi everyone,

I have to ask a silly question again (as I always do). I’d like to know whether there’s a difference between ‘every third day’ and ‘every three days’. :? ‘Third day’ sounds like ‘the day after tomorrow’ to me. But ‘every the day after tomorrow’ does work for me…

2

Hi Infinity,

‘Every third day’ refers to one specific day as in: The refuse is collected from houses every third day in the month. ‘Every three days’ means in essence the same but describes it more generally.

Alan

3

Dear Alan,

Thank you very much for your helpful message. With your help, now I can feel(Or tell? I’m sorry for my incompetent of choosing words.) the subtle difference between the two phrases. :slight_smile: