once every hour

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase 'once every hour' is correct and usable in written English.
You can use this phrase to express the frequency with which something happens. For example: "The bus arrives once every hour."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

A free bus ferries visitors to the city centre once every hour or so.

The Economist

As regards experimentation, three-minutes-long creep tests are performed once every hour, starting 21 h after production and continuing up to material ages amounting to eight days.

Construction and Building Materials

Typically, it is once every hour or two, even during a blizzard.

The New York Times

Once every hour, they entered data into their PDAs concerning their current work tasks and satisfaction levels, using a work sampling approach.

Design Studies

The owner didn't allow smoking, so once every hour my mother would step out the back door.

The New Yorker

Games are reviewed in newspapers alongside films, books and music; a national news crew reports from Spiel once every hour.

Independent

According to the FBI, a gun murder occurs about once every hour of every day; 8775 times a year in the U.S. in 2010.

Yale University

The effect of glass cover frequent instantaneous cooling (up to once every hour) was also investigated as one of the operational parameters and was found to have insignificant effect.

Desalination

If Colon was unafraid of contact, the Athletics had trouble making it, striking out six times and hitting the ball hard about once every hour.

The New York Times - Sports

So, in the installation, once every hour, when Mohammed takes a break in West Africa, the statue will shift to playback, and it will speak.

The New Yorker

During long car trips, make frequent stops to walk around, and on planes walk up and down the aisle at least once every hour.

The New York Times - Health

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "once every hour" to clearly specify a recurring event or action that happens at the start of, or during each hour. Ensure the context provides clarity regarding the specific timing within the hour if precision is crucial.

Common error

Avoid using "once every hour" when the intention is to describe an action happening within the hour at varying intervals. Use "hourly" instead to specify that the action happens continuously through each hour.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "once every hour" functions as an adverbial phrase of frequency, specifying how often an action or event takes place. Ludwig confirms this phrase is correct and widely usable. It modifies a verb, indicating that the action occurs one time within each hour.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

31%

Science

55%

Wiki

14%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "once every hour" is a common and grammatically sound way to express frequency, indicating that something occurs one time within each hour. Ludwig confirms its usability across various contexts. It's particularly prevalent in scientific and news media sources, serving to provide precise information about schedules, routines, and instructions. While alternatives like "hourly" or "every hour" exist, "once every hour" is often preferred for its clarity and explicitness. When writing, remember to use this phrase when an action happens specifically one time within the timeframe of one hour.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

hourly

This is a single-word adjective that directly means 'happening every hour'.

every hour

This omits the "once" but carries nearly identical meaning.

each hour

Replaces "every" with "each", implying the same frequency.

at hourly intervals

This alternative emphasizes the periodic nature of the events.

one time per hour

Specifies that something occurs one time during each hour period.

every sixty minutes

This is a more specific and less common way to express the same frequency.

every hour on the hour

Emphasizes that the event occurs at the beginning of each hour.

every passing hour

Focuses on the continuity of the action hour after hour.

on the hour

Implies the same frequency but is less explicit.

at the turn of every hour

This variation stresses the specific moment when a new hour begins.

FAQs

How can I use "once every hour" in a sentence?

Use "once every hour" to indicate that an action or event occurs one time during each hour. For example, "The medication should be taken "once every hour"."

What are some alternatives to saying "once every hour"?

Alternatives include "hourly", "every hour", or "at hourly intervals". The best choice depends on the specific context and desired emphasis.

Is it correct to say "one time every hour" instead of "once every hour"?

While "one time every hour" is understandable, ""once every hour"" is the more common and natural way to express this frequency.

What is the difference between "once every hour" and "every hour"?

"Every hour" implies that something happens during each hour, perhaps continuously. "Once every hour" specifies that the action happens a single time within that hour.