Afterward vs Afterwards: What Is the Real Difference?

Afterward and afterwards mean exactly the same thing. Both words describe something that happens later, after an event you already mentioned. The only real difference is regional: afterward is the standard choice in American English, while afterwards is more common in British English and other varieties spoken outside North America. Neither spelling is wrong, and neither one changes the meaning of your sentence.

This mix-up trips up a lot of careful writers, especially when style guides, spellcheckers, and different English-speaking audiences seem to disagree. Understanding which form fits your audience, and knowing that a third word, afterword, means something completely different, will keep your writing clean and consistent. Below, you’ll find clear explanations, real examples, and simple rules you can apply right away.

What Does Afterward Mean?

Afterward is an adverb. It means “at a later time” or “following an event that was just mentioned.” It works as a simple substitute for the word later.

You’ll usually see afterward placed at the beginning or end of a sentence, right after the action it refers to.

• We grabbed dinner and went to a movie afterward.
• Afterward, the team met to review what went wrong.
• She felt nervous during the interview but relieved afterward.

In each case, afterward points back to something that already happened and tells the reader what came next.

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What Does Afterwards Mean?

Afterwards carries the exact same meaning as afterward. It is not a separate word with its own rules; it’s simply the British English spelling of the same adverb.

• We had dinner and went to a movie afterwards.
• Afterwards, the team met to review what went wrong.
• She felt nervous during the interview but relieved afterwards.

Swap afterward for afterwards in any sentence, and the meaning stays identical. This is what makes the pair so confusing: there’s no grammar rule separating them, only a difference in regional preference.

Afterward vs Afterwards: Quick Comparison

Feature	Afterward	Afterwards
Meaning	Later, following an event	Later, following an event (same)
Part of speech	Adverb	Adverb
Preferred region	American English, Canadian English	British English, Australian English, most other English-speaking regions
AP Stylebook	Preferred form	Avoided
New York Times style	Preferred form	Avoided
Chicago Manual of Style	Preferred in American English	Preferred in British English
Correctness	Fully correct	Fully correct

Afterward vs Afterwards: American and British Usage

This word belongs to a small family of English adverbs that can end in either -ward or -wards, including toward/towards, backward/backwards, forward/forwards, upward/upwards, and downward/downwards. Across this entire group, American English tends to drop the final “s,” while British English tends to keep it.

Writing style authorities confirm this pattern directly. The Chicago Manual of Style explains that the form without the final “s” is preferred in American English, while the form with it is preferred in British English, and this same rule applies to directional words such as upward, downward, forward, backward, and afterward. It also notes that using afterwards is neither rare nor incorrect, but writers should stick with one form for consistency.

Linguistic researchers who studied real-world publishing data reached the same conclusion. According to Grammarist’s analysis of usage across English-speaking countries, there is no real difference in meaning between afterward and afterwards, and neither spelling is more correct than the other, though North American writers tend to favor afterward while writers outside the United States and Canada tend to favor afterwards. That said, this pattern is a tendency rather than a strict rule, and exceptions show up regularly on both sides.

So if you’re writing for an American audience, afterward will look more natural and more polished. If you’re writing for a British, Australian, or international audience, afterwards will feel more familiar. Neither choice will confuse a reader from the other region; it will simply read as slightly foreign, the way “colour” looks unusual to an American reader without seeming wrong.

Afterward vs Afterwards: AP Style and Other Style Guides

If you write for journalism, marketing, or any U.S.-based publication, style guides settle this question for you.

• The Associated Press Stylebook lists afterward as the correct form and instructs writers to avoid afterwards.
• The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage gives the same instruction in a single short entry: use afterward, not afterwards.
• The Chicago Manual of Style agrees, recommending afterward for American English writing while acknowledging afterwards as the standard British form.

A media commentary piece summarizing these style guides put it directly: both the AP Stylebook and the New York Times style manual are straightforward on this point, instructing writers to use afterward and not afterwards.

💡 Tip: If you’re editing for a specific publication or company style guide, check its preferred spelling before you default to habit. Most American publications will flag afterwards as an error.

Afterward or Afterword? A Completely Different Word

This is where a lot of confusion actually starts. Afterward and afterword sound almost identical when spoken quickly, but they are unrelated words.

• Afterward (adverb): later, following an event.
• Afterword (noun): a short section at the end of a book, usually written by someone other than the main author, that reflects on the work or adds closing context.

Examples of afterword used correctly:

• The novel includes an afterword written by the author’s editor.
• She wrote a moving afterword for the tenth-anniversary edition.

Examples of afterward used correctly:

• We talked for hours and went our separate ways afterward.
• He seemed calm during the meeting but anxious afterward.

⚠️ Common mistake: Writing “he added an afterward to his memoir” instead of “afterword.” If you’re talking about a section of a book, you need the “-word” spelling, not the “-ward” spelling. If you’re talking about time, you need “-ward” or “-wards.”

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Grammar: What Part of Speech Is Afterward?

Afterward is an adverb of time. It modifies a verb, an adjective, or an entire clause by telling the reader when something happened relative to another event.

It typically answers the question “when,” not “how” or “where.” Because of this, afterward usually sits in one of a few predictable spots in a sentence:

• At the start of a sentence, followed by a comma: Afterward, we drove home in silence.
• At the end of a sentence: We drove home in silence afterward.
• In the middle, right after the verb it modifies: She thanked him afterward for his patience.

Afterward is not a conjunction, so it cannot join two independent clauses on its own. Avoid writing “We finished the project afterward we celebrated” — that’s a run-on. Instead, use a period, semicolon, or conjunction: “We finished the project. Afterward, we celebrated.”

How to Pronounce Afterward and Afterwards

Both words are pronounced with the stress on the first syllable.

• Afterward: AF-ter-werd (/ˈæf.tər.wɚd/ in American English)
• Afterwards: AF-ter-werdz (/ˈæf.tər.wɚdz/ in American English; /ˈɑːf.tə.wədz/ in British English)

The only sound difference between the two words is the final “z” sound at the end of afterwards. In British pronunciation, the “r” sound is softer or dropped, following the general pattern of non-rhotic British accents.

Where Does Afterward Come From?

Afterward has deep roots in English. It comes from the Old English word æfterweard, a combination of æfter (meaning “after” or “behind”) and weard, a suffix that originally indicated direction, similar to how “toward” and “homeward” use the same ending.

That -ward/-wards suffix has always had two spellings. Researchers at Merriam-Webster’s language blog note that this directional suffix family, including toward and its relatives, has ancient origins, and the word toward and its variants were spelled both with a final “s” and without one from the very earliest recorded uses. Over time, American English gradually settled on the shorter form for most of these words, while British English kept the “s.” No single event caused the split; it developed slowly over centuries of regional usage, becoming more fixed by the late nineteenth century.

Afterward vs Afterwards in a Sentence: More Examples

Here are natural examples showing both forms doing identical work:

Sentence with Afterward	Sentence with Afterwards
He apologized afterward for losing his temper.	He apologized afterwards for losing his temper.
Shortly afterward, the company issued a statement.	Shortly afterwards, the company issued a statement.
We can talk about the budget afterward.	We can talk about the budget afterwards.
Afterward, nobody mentioned the mistake again.	Afterwards, nobody mentioned the mistake again.

Notice that “shortly afterward” and “shortly afterwards” are both extremely common phrases. Neither is more formal or more casual than the other; the choice comes down to regional habit.

Synonyms for Afterward and Afterwards

If you want to vary your word choice, several words carry a similar meaning, though each has a slightly different feel.

Word	Meaning	Best Used When
Later	A general, casual way to say “at a future point”	Everyday conversation, informal writing
Subsequently	A more formal way to say “after that”	Reports, academic writing, journalism
Afterward or afterwards	Neutral, standard adverb for “following an event”	Most writing contexts
Following that	Explicit and clear, often used in instructions	Step-by-step guides, procedures
Then	Simple and conversational	Storytelling, casual speech

Subsequently is the closest formal cousin to afterward, but it often sounds stiffer. “He apologized subsequently” is grammatically fine but reads less naturally than “He apologized afterward.”

Common Mistakes with Afterward and Afterwards

❌ Incorrect: She added an afterward to the second edition of her book.
✅ Correct: She added an afterword to the second edition of her book.

❌ Incorrect: We finished the meeting afterward, we went for coffee.
✅ Correct: We finished the meeting, and afterward we went for coffee.

❌ Incorrect (in AP or NYT style content): The results were released afterwards.
✅ Correct (in AP or NYT style content): The results were released afterward.

❌ Incorrect: Mixing both spellings inconsistently within the same document.
✅ Correct: Pick one form, afterward or afterwards, and use it consistently throughout your writing.

“Happily Ever Afterward” or “Happily Ever After”?

You may have seen the phrase “happily ever afterwards” used playfully, but the standard fairy tale phrase is actually “happily ever after,” without afterward or afterwards at all. “After” alone works here as a shortened, idiomatic ending, and it’s the version recognized in classic storytelling. Adding “-ward” or “-wards” to this specific phrase is nonstandard and best avoided in formal writing.

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Afterward vs After: What’s the Difference?

After and afterward are related but not interchangeable. After is usually a preposition or conjunction that needs to connect to something else in the sentence, such as an event, a time, or a clause.

• After the meeting, we grabbed lunch. (after + noun)
• After she finished speaking, the room went silent. (after + clause)

Afterward, by contrast, stands alone as an adverb and doesn’t need an object.

• We grabbed lunch afterward. (afterward stands alone)

A simple test: if you can put a noun or clause directly after the word, you likely need “after.” If the word is working by itself at the end or start of a sentence, you need “afterward” or “afterwards.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it afterward or afterwards?

Both are correct. Afterward is standard in American English; afterwards is standard in British English. They mean exactly the same thing.

What does afterward mean?

Afterward means “at a later time” or “following an event that was just mentioned.” It’s an adverb similar in meaning to later.

Is afterward an adverb?

Yes. Afterward is classified as an adverb of time, and it works the same way whether spelled afterward or afterwards.

Does Merriam-Webster prefer afterward or afterwards?

Merriam-Webster lists both spellings as valid, consistent with the broader pattern across the -ward/-wards word family, where regional preference rather than correctness determines which form is used.

What is the difference between afterward and afterword?

Afterward is an adverb meaning “later.” Afterword is a noun referring to a short closing section at the end of a book. They are unrelated in meaning despite their similar spelling.

Which form does AP style use?

AP style uses afterward, not afterwards, matching the preference of most major American style guides, including The New York Times.

Is afterwards used in Canada?

Canadian English leans toward afterward, similar to American English, though afterwards also appears and is understood without issue.

Can I use afterward and afterwards in the same document?

It’s best not to. Pick one spelling and use it consistently for a cleaner, more professional result.

Is “happily ever afterwards” correct?

No. The standard phrase is “happily ever after,” without afterward or afterwards attached.

What’s a good synonym for afterward?

Later and subsequently are the closest common substitutes, though each carries a slightly different tone.

Final Thoughts

Afterward and afterwards are two spellings of the same word, separated only by geography, not meaning or correctness. If you’re writing for an American audience or following AP or New York Times style, afterward is the safer, more polished choice. If you’re writing for a British or international audience, afterwards will feel more natural to your readers.

The word to watch out for isn’t afterwards at all; it’s afterword, a completely different term for the closing section of a book. Once you keep that distinction straight and settle on one spelling of afterward or afterwards for consistency, you’ll never second-guess this word pair again.