"By The End Of The Day" or "By The End Of Today"?

When we want to say that we’ve set a deadline for the end of a working day, we can use two different phrases. This article will look at the meaning of both “by the end of the day” and “by the end of today” to explain which one works best.

Is It “By The End Of The Day” Or “By The End Of Today”?

“By the end of the day” and “By the end of today” are both correct. Generally, people use “By the end of the day” to be more specific that they mean the end of the working today. “Today” would technically mean by midnight tonight.

The difference between the two phrases mostly comes down to semantics and context. They are both correct, and we can use either, but many people prefer saying “the day.”

Here’s how they work (and why people prefer one over the other):

I need this project by the end of the day.
I need this by the end of today.

“By the end of the day” generally implies that it is needed before the work shift ends. We can use this to show that we expect someone to hand in their work before they clock out for the day.

“By the end of today” means the same thing, but its meaning can be a little looser. Some people might prefer not to use it because “today” means the entire day rather than just the workday. So, technically, the project won’t need completing until just before midnight.

Of course, most people who treat “by the end of today” in the way we mentioned above are being overly picky with their grammar.

What Does “By The End Of The Day” And “By The End Of Today” Mean?

The time meant by both phrases is what’s important here. Generally, we can be fairly specific with what each one means (and the idea is that they mean the same thing).

Both phrases mean that something must be completed before the end of the working day. We use the preposition “by” to show that a deadline is set before a specific time. “The day” and “today” show when that time is set, and “end of” helps to establish that further.

Typically, “the end of the day” would be 5 pm for most people. If they work a standard 9-5 job, then you can expect to have that deadline completed by the end of that shift (meaning 5 pm).

Examples Of How To Use “By The End Of The Day” In A Sentence

Now let’s see a few more examples of each. We’ll start with the slightly more common one, which has a much less puzzling answer to what time of day we mean.

I need that email sent by the end of the day, okay?
You should have this completed by the end of the day.
By the end of the day, I would like a full report on my desk of what went wrong on Sunday.
You should bring that to me by the end of the day.
I would like to see that project by the end of the day.
You need to find a new person to start working here by the end of the day.
If you don’t impress me by the end of the day, I will fire you.

“By the end of the day” is the best way we can refer to someone’s deadline at the end of a working day. It means that we expect that project or task to be completed before they clock out and no later than that.

Examples Of How To Use “By The End Of Today” In A Sentence

The meaning of “by the end of today” is identical to what we mentioned above. Still, it’s good to see it in a few different contexts.

By the end of today, I expect that he will have handed in his resignation.
You are going to have to complete this by the end of today.
By the end of today, you’ll have found somewhere new to work.
I want this homework completed by the end of today, Jimmy.
I need to complete this project by the end of today, or I will lose my job.
You should have this done by the end of today.
By the end of today, I want a full apology sent to my email.

“By the end of today” works to show that we have a deadline set by the end of a working day. However, it could also just mean by the end of the current day if we do not have a job that finishes at a specific time.

Is It Correct To Say “Today By The End Of The Day”?

Let’s finish up this article by looking at a few more examples. These will get a little more specific, so it would help to understand them.

“Today by the end of the day” is incorrect. We do not need to say it because we do not need to use “today” and “the day.” Typically, this would be a reduplication, and including “today” at the start of the phrase makes no logistical or grammatical sense.

Correct: I need this by the end of the day.
Incorrect: I need this today by the end of the day.

Is It Correct To Say “By The End Of The Day Today”?

Interestingly, if we move the positioning of “today,” we can create a correct example.

“By the end of the day today” is correct when we want to emphasize the day we mean. While it’s still technically reduplicative, it works well when we want to stress that we mean “today” and no later than that.

I want this project by the end of the day today. Do you hear me?

“By The End Of The Day” And “By The End Of Today” – Synonyms

There aren’t too many synonyms we can use in place of these phrases. They work well already to convey the deadline we want to. Still, you might benefit from one of these:

By the end of business
By the end of the working day
By the end of your shift