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Anything vs. Any Thing 

anyanythingindefinite pronounsnon-assertive pro-forms
"Anything" vs. "Any Thing" in English Grammar

Can They Be Used Interchangeably?

The short answer is no. 'Anything' is an indefinite pronoun that means a thing of any kind.

Note that 'anything' is used more commonly than 'any thing'.

Any thing

'Any thing' is NOT considered a pronoun. Rather, it is a noun phrase. We use it when we want to:

emphasize that we are referring to any object not a person or an animal or thoughts and ideas.

Example

This object can fit into any thing.

place another adjective between 'any' and 'thing'.

Example

Any small thing can change the course of actions.

If you want to put another adjective between 'any' and 'thing', you need 'any thing' as opposed to 'anything'.

refer to 'things', not 'a thing'.

Example

Any things found on the crime scene will be confiscated.

What about 'Anythings'?

We don't have the word 'anythings', so, if you want to use the plural word 'things', you should say 'any things.'

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