Does a bimonthly meeting on your work schedule occur twice a month or once every two months? Usually, we tell you it’s one or the other, but it could be either in this case. That’s right, bimonthly has two meanings, and there are times you’ll have to use context clues to determine which one is being referred to.
For example, a bimonthly publication with six issues per year refers to a periodical that publishes once every two months. A bimonthly pay schedule with 24 total paychecks per year means employees are paid once every other week; confusingly, this is also known as a biweekly pay schedule as well.
We’ll dive deeper into the meaning of bimonthly, provide synonyms, and discuss other words about time that use the bi- prefix.
What does bimonthly mean?
Bimonthly refers to events that occur twice per month or once every two months, depending on the context. If you say a bimonthly book club will meet six times per year, the word bimonthly means once every two months.
Bimonthly consists of the prefix bi- and the root word monthly. The confusion as to whether it means twice a month or once every two months comes down to the prefix. Bi- means “occurring every two” or “occurring twice.” In this case, monthly is an adjective that means “of or relating to a month.”
In other words, bimonthly has two definitions: twice a month or every two months. If you’re using this word to develop a meeting agenda, it’s important to be specific about which one you mean.
For example, if you say, “This bimonthly meeting will take place 24 times per year,” then people will know it takes place twice a month. Simply saying, “There is a bimonthly meeting on your calendar” leaves room for confusion.
The correct spelling is bimonthly and not bi-monthly. Hyphens are not used after the prefix bi- unless the root word starts with the letter I.
A bimonthly synonym is semimonthly, though that also doesn’t make the cadence clear without additional context. To avoid confusion, simply use phrases like “twice monthly,” “once every two weeks,” or “once every other month.”
Does bimonthly mean twice a month or every two months?
Bimonthly can mean twice a month or every two months. Most native English speakers use it to mean twice a month, such as bimonthly pay that typically takes place on the 1st and 15th of every month. Similarly, bimonthly meetings are typically understood to mean meetings that take place twice a month.
Print publications often use bimonthly to mean every two months, or that there will be six editions printed each year.
What are common uses of the word bimonthly?
One of the most common uses of the word bimonthly is bimonthly pay, or paychecks issued twice a month. These payments typically take place on the 1st and 15th of the month, though they may differ based on the company.
Bimonthly meetings are another common use of bimonthly, and unless specified are typically used to refer to twice-monthly meetings.
Other bi- prefix words about time
The confusion as to whether bi- means twice a month or once every two months isn’t limited to bimonthly.
- Biweekly similarly often trips people up, and like bimonthly has two meanings: twice a week or once every two weeks. This word also requires context to differentiate between the two.
- The word biannual, however, doesn’t have this problem as it means occurring twice a year.
- The word biennial refers to something occurring once every two years.
Examples of bimonthly in a sentence
- My bimonthly newsletter provides movie enthusiasts with a behind-the-scenes look into some of their favorite projects. Look for it in your inbox on the first and third Mondays of every month.
- Due to budget cutbacks, we’ll have to change our printing schedule from monthly to bimonthly and only release six issues per year.
- A monthly meeting would be too long. Could we meet bimonthly to break up the discussions?
- My sister and I meet bimonthly to make sure we see each other at least twice a month.
- You’ll be paid on a bimonthly basis, and your paychecks will be deposited on the 1st and 15th of every month.
Bimonthly FAQs
What does bimonthly mean?
Bimonthly means twice a month or once every two months, and it’s often up to a writer or scheduler to provide context on which one they mean. The word consists of the prefix bi-, which means occurring every two or occurring twice, and the root word monthly, which means of or relating to a month.
Does bimonthly mean twice a month or every two months?
It can mean either! The prefix bi- means “occurring twice” or “once every two,” so it’s up to a writer or speaker to provide context on which cadence they’re referring to.
What are common uses of the word bimonthly?
The common uses of the word bimonthly are bimonthly pay, paychecks issued twice a month, and bimonthly meetings, or meetings that take place once every other week. Bimonthly publications, on the other hand, typically refer to magazines or newspapers that come out once every other month.
