Apiece

USAGE SUMMARY

"apiece" is correct and usable in written English. You can use it when referring to a price or quantity per individual item. Example: "The apples cost $2 apiece." Alternative expressions include "each" and "per item."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

In the daytime, she sends her older children out to hawk plastic bags of water for five naira (2p) apiece – they need to sell 40 to afford a tube of toothpaste.

The Guardian

The difference really comes in the marinades, which range from the wonderfully simple – Rosemary Brissenden's garlic, ginger and light soy sauce version in South East Asian Food – to the fiendishly complex: Vongerichten's involves 11 ingredients, David Thompson's Thai Street Food and Saveur magazine10 apiece, almost all of which require toasting or chopping and grinding before use.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

England's top three bowlers, Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann, took 70 wickets between them, each at under 30 runs apiece, while their Australian equivalents managed 52.

The Guardian - Sport

In 1903, revelations about Poltpalingada's fate sparked a public inquiry that revealed sordid details about the illicit trade in body parts (skeletons £10 apiece) that flourished in Ramsay Smith's morgue.

The Guardian

It seemed that as soon as the game was tied at one goal apiece, it was tied at again at two goals each.

The Guardian - Sport

Before bed, Por took us on a night safari where we floated silently past shy gaur – tragically, the heads of these endangered bison can earn poachers £2,000 apiece.

The Guardian - Travel

Major League Baseball came in second at 46%, followed by the NBA (37%), golf (23%), the NHL and boxing (22% apiece).

The Guardian - Sport

I think 24 of the records so far have been by Aussie artists and QOTSA, Disclosure, Bliss N Eso, Bring Me the Horizon, Illy and Andy Bull have a pair of entries apiece.

The Guardian

That coincided with Tsonga's best phase of the match as the Frenchman broke back for 4-4 before taking the tie-break 7-1 to level the match at one set apiece.

The Guardian - Sport

The three other parties would split the remaining six equally – with two seats apiece.

The Guardian

Ziebell, Lindsay Thomas, Shaun Higgins and Drew Petrie kicked two goals apiece as North increased their lead at every break.

The Guardian - Sport

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "apiece" to clearly indicate the cost, quantity, or share for each individual item or person, ensuring that the distribution is explicitly stated.

Common error

Avoid using "apiece" when referring to a total quantity rather than individual shares. "Apiece" is for distribution, not aggregation. For example, instead of saying "The team scored 10 goals apiece", say "The team scored 10 goals in total."

Linguistic Context

Apiece functions as an adverb, modifying verbs to specify that an action, cost, or distribution applies individually to each member of a group or item in a set. Ludwig provides examples showing its use in contexts of cost, scores, and distributions.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

53%

Formal & Business

26%

Science

21%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

"Apiece" functions as an adverbial phrase indicating a cost, quantity, or share for each individual item or person. Ludwig AI confirms it's grammatically correct and very common, particularly in news and business contexts. Alternatives include "each" or "per item", but these may lack the distributive nuance of "apiece". To avoid confusion, ensure it's used for individual distribution rather than collective quantities. The high source quality and consistent usage support its reliability in formal and informal writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Per item

Directly specifies the cost or quantity associated with a single item.

Each

A more general term for indicating distribution, but lacks the explicit per-item connotation of "apiece".

Per unit

Focuses on the individual unit cost or quantity rather than individual possession.

For each

Emphasizes the individual item in a distribution or costing.

To each one

Highlights individual ownership in distribution; implies a person receives individual items.

Individually

Highlights the separate nature of each item, unlike the distributed aspect of "apiece".

Separately

Focuses on the distinctness of items, diverging from the distributive property of "apiece".

For every single one

Stresses quantity to be distributed; might be used in situations with an emphasis on individual allocation.

A pop

An informal way to say something about unit prices.

Respectively

Used when distributing different things to different entities, lacks the general distribution aspect of "apiece".

FAQs

How do I use "apiece" in a sentence?

"Apiece" is used to indicate that something is distributed or costs a certain amount for each individual. For example, "The tickets cost $20 "apiece"" means each ticket costs $20.

What's the difference between "each" and "apiece"?

Both "each" and "apiece" refer to individual items, but "apiece" typically emphasizes a distributed quantity or cost per item. "Each" is more general, while "apiece" is more specific to sharing or pricing among individuals. For example: "They each received a prize." vs "The prizes cost $10 "apiece"".

What can I say instead of "apiece"?

Alternatives to "apiece" include "each", "per item", or "for each one", depending on the context. The phrase "per item" is a more suitable choice, and "each" might be more appropriate for general distribution statements.

Is it correct to say "apiece each"?

The phrase "apiece each" is redundant. "Apiece" already implies "each", so using both together is unnecessary. Just use either "apiece" or "each" depending on the sentence structure.