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What is the difference between "I remember the day where..." and "I remember the day when..."?

I think both are used in both written and spoken English. Can we say that "when" makes more sense when we are talking about a specific point in time?

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As the other answerers suggested, the day when seems to be very common. In most cases both the day when and the day where refer to time, not place; but the day where is a bit archaic.

In my research, the only instance I found in which the day where refers to a place – not time – is in the book The London Encyclopedia: or, Universal Dictionary of Science, Art, Literature, and Practical Mechanics. VOL. X. 1893:

To know by the globe what o clock it is in any part of the world at any time, provided you know the hour of the day where you are at the same time.

That said, it seems that other authors have used it by referring to a time not place. Here are just a few examples:

Today might be the day where I could be the step in your swag the punctuation in your thoughts the why in your not the salt in your earth the light of your world . Today might be the day where I could be the silence in the midst of your storm... – The Color of My Aunt's Coffee: Sugar vs. Cream By Tia DeShay

I dream of the day where love will take my breath and carry me away . . . I dare to love a man as such the one, the true, the brave a soldier, Yes a soldier for my love – Love Sick: Pages of a Poetic Heart By S. C. Ayala.

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  • This is the source of my confusion. I would like to speak/write a proper English, so I suppose I should stick to "when" ?
    – Krimo
    Jul 16, 2012 at 9:57
  • Yes, when seems to be the most common usage in most occasions.
    – Noah
    Jul 16, 2012 at 10:02
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The King James Bible (Job, 3:3) has this: ‘Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived.’ However, the day when is almost certainly what would be used on most occasions now. Do you have an authentic quotation showing where in such a context?

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I remember the place where...

And

I remember the day when...

are preferred.

I remember the day that...

is also possible because some people argue that the combination "day" and "when" is redundant.

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