Sometimes we say something in a certain way because we’ve always heard it that way, but another person may say the same thing in slightly different wording. Such is the case with “each other” and “one another” — is there a difference? Pop culture might give us a hint. Take Ben E. King’s 1981 hit “Made for Each Other,” a love song about two people. Or the 1939 movie “Made for Each Other,” which stars two young newlyweds navigating married life. You might notice a pattern: two people = “each other.”
A different pattern emerges with a similar term: “one another.” Cher’s song “Love One Another,” featuring the lyrics “love one another, sisters and brothers,” isn’t about a couple; it’s a call to action to humanity as a whole. Here, “one another” includes three or more people.
These usages aren’t random choices. They reflect what many learners were taught in school: “Each other” is for a pair, and “one another” is for more than two people. Today, this distinction endures in classrooms and style guides, but is it set in stone? Based on the etymology, there is some leeway.
According to Merriam-Webster, the nuance between the terms has never been a hard-and-fast rule. They have been used interchangeably since at least the 16th century. “Other” derives from the Old English pronoun oþer, meaning “one of the two.” When paired with “each,” meaning “one of,” it creates a reciprocal pronoun that refers to a pair.
However, “another,” which also derives from oþer, originally meant “a second of two.” This led to its use as the reciprocal pronoun “one another,” which was used to mean “one out of a pair” by the early 16th century. Today, “another” is a pronoun that can mean “one of a group of unspecified or indefinite things” (in addition to other pronoun usages including “one more” and its use as an adjective). To some, this makes it more acceptable for use with larger groups.
In most situations, it’s fine to use “each other” and “one another” interchangeably, but in formal usage — or if you enjoy practicing traditional English grammar skills — you may choose to differentiate between them for precision.
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