‘Each other’ is used when there are only two subjects involved in the action, while ‘one another’ is used when there are more than two subjects involved. For example, “John and Mary are talking to each other” and “John and Mary are talking to one another” are both grammatically correct.

“One another” is really just another way of saying “Each other.” But if we leave out the word that indicates a singular (“one” or “each”), we can use the apostrophe after the s because we are now talking about multiple others simultaneously.

In modern English, each other and one another are used in the same way. One another is preferred in cases where we are making general statements. They no longer talk to each other / one another. Both expressions have possessive forms: each other’s / one another’s. They sat for hours listening to each other’s / one another’s tales.

The main difference lies in the number of individuals involved. We use “Each Other” for two people or things but “One Another” for more than two people or things. Memorizing this difference will help you use these phrases correctly.

According to different sources, each other is more common than one another. This might be the result of their degrees of formality. One another is slightly more formal and if speakers have a preference, they tend to stick to each other. We found out that you’ll encounter each other more frequently in fiction, TV shows, and spoken media.