Following on from the question below

[beenee]

Why is it 'anyways' in the US and 'anyway' for the rest of us - which one is techincally correct?

[thewillow]

See: web.uvic.ca/wguide/Pages/UsAnyway.html

[Quizmonster]

Both versions have existed in English since the 16th century and each originally appeared as two separate words. 'Anyway', as one word, did not appear until the 1840s, though 'anyways', as one word, dates back to the 1790s.

Though 'anyways' might seem specifically American nowadays, it was not always so. 'Anyway' is correct in British English only because that is the form now used, whilst the other has effectively 'disappeared' here.

[KEJ2000]

Having been educated in the USA, I was taught to believe that "anyways" was "bad English", and that "anyway" was the only proper term! So, if you hear any Americans saying "anyways", just know that even their fellow Americans consider that term improper! The same applies to "how come" versus "why", I was taught that the former is improper, and that only the latter should ever be used.