Wrong phrase: 'today night' (tonight)

'Today night' is nonstandard. Native speakers say 'tonight' or, when you want a slightly more formal or early-evening nuance, 'this evening.' Below are clear rules, many ready-to-copy rewrites for work, school, and casual contexts, extra wrong/right pairs, quick editing steps, and practice prompts to fix sentences immediately.

Quick answer

Use 'tonight' for the evening or night of the current day. Use 'this evening' to sound more formal or to emphasize the earlier part of the evening (about 5-8 pm).

'tonight' = the night or evening of today (one word).
Formal / early-evening alternative: 'this evening'.
Do not use 'today night' or 'today-night' in modern English.

Core explanation: why 'today night' is nonstandard

'Tonight' is already a single adverb meaning 'the night of today.' English favors single-word time expressions (today, tomorrow, yesterday, tonight). Adding 'today' before 'night' repeats information and sounds unidiomatic.

Fixes: delete 'today' and use 'tonight', or use 'this evening' if you want a formal tone or to indicate early evening.

'today night' → wrong
'tonight' → correct (default)
'this evening' → formal / early evening

Grammar, hyphenation & spacing (quick rules)

Write 'tonight' as one word. The hyphenated 'to-night' is archaic; avoid it. 'Today-night' and 'today night' are incorrect.

For past events use 'last night'; for morning references use 'this morning'.

'tonight' = correct (one word).
'to-night' = obsolete.
Do not insert 'today' before time words when a single-word form exists.

Wrong: I'll call you today night.
Right: I'll call you tonight.
Note: Formal email: "I'll call you this evening."

Real usage and tone: pick 'tonight' or 'this evening'

'Tonight' fits most contexts-texts, chats, announcements, and casual emails. Use 'this evening' to sound polite or professional or when the event is early evening.

If you need to be precise (for example, 6:00-8:00 p.m.), 'this evening' often communicates the earlier slot better. For late-night events or general mentions, 'tonight' is clearer.

Casual: prefer 'tonight' (short, direct).
Work: use 'this evening' for formality; 'tonight' is fine for late meetings.
School: both are acceptable-use 'this evening' for official announcements.

Work: I'll send the updated report this evening.
Work: Are you available tonight for a quick call?
School: Study group tonight at 7 in the library.
School: The lecture will be moved to this evening at 6:30.
Casual: Party tonight? Everyone's invited!
Casual: See you tonight-don't forget the tickets.

Examples: many wrong/right pairs (work, school, casual)

Below are grouped wrong/right pairs. Use the right phrasing directly or adapt it to your tone.

Work - Wrong: Please review the draft today night and send feedback.
Work - Right: Please review the draft tonight and send your feedback.
Work - Wrong: Can we meet today night to finalize the slides?
Work - Right: Can we meet this evening to finalize the slides?
School - Wrong: I will submit the assignment today night.
School - Right: I will submit the assignment tonight.
School - Wrong: The study session is today night at 8.
School - Right: The study session is tonight at 8.
Casual - Wrong: We will party today night after exams.
Casual - Right: We're partying tonight after exams.
Casual - Wrong: Do you want to grab dinner today night?
Casual - Right: Do you want to grab dinner tonight?
Wrong: The webinar is today night at 9.
Right: The webinar is tonight at 9.
Wrong: My flight arrives today night.
Right: My flight arrives tonight.
Work - Wrong: I'll be on duty today night.
Work - Right: I'll be on duty tonight.

Try your own sentence

Test the whole sentence rather than the isolated phrase-context usually makes the correct choice obvious.

Rewrite help: quick fixes and templates

Three simple steps: remove 'today' before 'night', replace with 'tonight'; if you need a formal tone or to point to early evening, use 'this evening'; check tense for past events.

Direct swap: 'today night' → 'tonight'.
Formal / early-evening: use 'this evening'.
Past events: 'yesterday night' → 'last night'.

Rewrite:
Original: I will finish the slides today night.
Rewrite: I will finish the slides tonight.
Rewrite:
Original: Are you free today night to discuss the budget?
Rewrite: Are you free tonight to discuss the budget? (Or: Are you available this evening to discuss the budget?)
Rewrite:
Original: The team will meet today night at 10.
Rewrite: The team will meet tonight at 10. (
Formal: The team will meet this evening at 10.)
Template - Work (formal): I will send the final version this evening. Please review and confirm.
Template - School: Office hours tonight from 7-9 PM in Room 214.
Template - Casual: Dinner tonight? 8 pm at the usual place.

Memory trick: stop writing 'today night'

Group time words as single blocks: today, tomorrow, yesterday, tonight. If you wouldn't write 'today tomorrow', don't write 'today night'.

Visual tip: see 'tonight' as 'to' + 'night' fused-learners sometimes add 'today' unnecessarily because they feel a day marker is missing.

Pattern: one-word time words = today, tomorrow, tonight, yesterday.
Mnemonic: "Tonight is one word-so is tomorrow."
Habit tip: when you type 'today' plus another time word, pause and replace with a single-word form if available.

Similar mistakes and quick fixes

Other common collocation errors and their fixes:

'yesterday night' → 'last night' (idiomatic)
'today morning' → 'this morning'
'this night' → usually 'that night' in past narratives, or 'tonight' for present/future

Wrong: I didn't sleep well yesterday night.
Right: I didn't sleep well last night.
Wrong: We met this night at the cafe.
Right: We met at the cafe tonight.
Wrong: She called me today morning.
Right: She called me this morning.

Practice: quick spot-and-fix prompts

Replace the wrong phrase with the correct one and choose 'tonight' or 'this evening' depending on tone.

Prompt: Edit: "The match starts today night at 9."
Answer: Rewrite: "The match starts tonight at 9." (Or: "The match starts this evening at 9." for a formal announcement.)
Prompt: Edit: "Can we discuss the issue today night?"
Answer: Rewrite: "Can we discuss the issue tonight?"
Prompt: Edit: "I met her this night and we talked." (past narrative)
Answer: Rewrite: "I met her that night and we talked." (use 'that night' for past narratives)

FAQ

Is 'today night' correct English?

No. Use 'tonight' to refer to the evening or night of the current day. Replace 'today night' with 'tonight' or 'this evening' as appropriate.

When should I use 'this evening' instead of 'tonight'?

Use 'this evening' for a slightly more formal tone or to indicate the earlier part of the evening (roughly 5-8 pm). Use 'tonight' for general references and later-night events.

Can I write 'to-night' or 'today-night'?

No. 'To-night' is archaic and 'today-night' is incorrect. Use 'tonight' as one word in modern writing.

What do I say for past events instead of 'yesterday night'?

Say 'last night' for events that happened during the previous night's hours. 'Yesterday night' is not idiomatic.

How can I check my sentence quickly?

Drop 'today' before the time word and replace it with the single-word form where one exists. If unsure about tone, choose 'this evening' for formal contexts and 'tonight' for informal ones. Grammar tools will flag 'today night' and suggest corrections.

Fix a sentence now

Copy a sentence from your email or message and remove 'today' before 'night'-use 'tonight' or 'this evening' as needed. For instant suggestions, paste sentences into a grammar tool to get rewrite options.