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All confusables

Biweekly / Fortnightly / Twice weekly

Usage

Biweekly can mean every two weeks or twice a week. Use fortnightly or every two weeks for the first meaning, and twice weekly or twice a week for the second.

Biweekly

Use when

Only when your audience has an established convention or the schedule is immediately clarified.

Example

“The biweekly meeting takes place every other Wednesday.”

Fortnightly

Use when

You mean once every two weeks.

Example

“The working group meets fortnightly on alternate Wednesdays.”

Twice weekly

Use when

You mean two times each week.

Example

“The operations call is held twice weekly, on Tuesday and Friday.”

Quick check

biweekly without clarification, fortnightly used for twice a week, ambiguous recurring deadline

Usage note

Every two weeks is often clearer than fortnightly for international audiences. State the actual days when the schedule affects deadlines, payroll or attendance.

Source checked 2026-08-11 (opens in a new tab)