- To is a preposition with several meanings, including “toward” and “until.”
- Too is an adverb that can mean “excessively” or “also.”
- Just to be clear: Two is also pronounced the same as to and too, but because it refers to a number, it’s not as easy to confuse for one of the other words.
In the hierarchy of things that drive grammar sticklers mad, to and too are near the top. It’s very common to see them confused, abused, and misused, and not just in YouTube comments or on Reddit. People seem to mix up these two funny little words all over the place, and it’s something that can happen to anyone.
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To vs. too: What’s the difference?
The difference between to and too is how they’re used. While both are hom*onyms (they are pronounced the same), their usage and meanings are very different.
- to is a preposition, as in “Let’s go to the mall.”
- too is an adverb that means “also,” as in “I’ll go to the mall too!”
How to use to
To is a preposition and a versatile little word that can be used to say many things. You can use it to indicate a goal or a direction of movement, as well as a place of arrival. That’s the way you use it when you say you’re going to class tomorrow. To also plays a role when we want to form the infinitive of a verb (that’s what the to before form in this sentence is doing).
You’ll often use to when you want to indicate a relationship between words such as possession, attachment, or addition. You get attached to people, you have things that belong to you. To is also used to indicate a range or a period of time, like when you say finishing something will take you five to ten minutes.
There are other situations in which we use the word to, but by now you should know enough of them to notice the difference between it and too.
How to use too
Too is also a useful little word, but it’s not a preposition like to, and it doesn’t have as many meanings. You can use it instead of besides, in addition, also, or as well. But you can use it for other things, too, like when you want to indicate excessiveness. If you find grammar tough, you can say that it’s too hard. In casual speech, speakers sometimes use too in the sense of very: “That cat is too funny!”
To, too, and two: hom*ophones
Apart from being spelled very similarly, to and too are pronounced the same—[too]. And there’s another word that’s also pronounced that way: the number two. We call words that share a pronunciation hom*ophones, and if you take a look at any list of commonly confused words, you’ll find plenty of hom*ophones on it. Words like there, their, and they’re; your and you’re; and bear and bare are up there along with to, too, and two. It doesn’t matter whether the hom*ophones have different meanings and uses or if they are in completely different word classes; we still mix them up.
How to remember the difference between to and too
Since they are pronounced the same, you don’t have to worry about mixing up to and too in speech; it’s keeping track of the right spelling of each word when writing that can be tricky. But there’s an easy way to make sure you’re using the correct word: Too can be replaced with also, very, or excessively, so when you want the word that means extra of something, use the one with an extra o.
Examples of to vs. too
- I plan to explore the Bermuda Triangle.
- This song is dedicated to Mika, with love.
- Shana would like to play one more round of poker.
- The Frisbee didn’t go far—maybe one to three yards.
- Jamie didn’t want any more tea; it was too sweet for them.
- I want to see the mountains and the ocean too.
- We wanted to go by ourselves, but our parents came too.
- Even though she’d made a final push to win the marathon, it was too little too late.
FAQs
To is a preposition with several meanings, including “toward” and “*ntil.” Too is an adverb that can mean “excessively” or “also.” Just to be clear: Two is also pronounced the same as to and too, but because it refers to a number, it's not as easy to confuse for one of the other words.
When to use too or to? ›
“Too” is an adverb. It can be used to replace words such as “excessively”, “additionally”, “as well” or “also”. “To”, on the other hand, is a versatile preposition that can be used in various situations and contexts. It's used to indicate a direction, like “toward” and “*ntil”.
What is an example of too? ›
How to Use too in a Sentence
- The soup is too hot.
- I want to go too!
- I have too much to do.
- The offer was too good to refuse.
- You gave me too many cards.
- This shirt is way too big for me.
- He works much too hard.
- We are selling the house and the furniture too.
If someone makes a positive statement and you want to agree with it, the grammatical way to reply is "me too."
How do you remember the difference between to and too? ›
Here's the best way to remember whether the spelling should be to or too: if you mean to, don't use too many o's! You can also remember that too means “also” because an extra o has tagged along, as if it had asked, “Can I come, too?” Go Behind The Words!
What is the rule with to and too? ›
The difference between to and too is how they're used. While both are hom*onyms (they are pronounced the same), their usage and meanings are very different. to is a preposition, as in “Let's go to the mall.” too is an adverb that means “also,” as in “I'll go to the mall too!”
Is it love you too or to? ›
Is it “I love you, too” or “I love you to”? The correct form of this sentence is “I love you, too” because one of the definitions of “too” is “also.”
How do we use to? ›
- Position in a Sentence. To as a preposition is used before nouns or pronouns and make prepositional phrases. ...
- Tip. To can be used with an infinitive after 'there is' or 'there are' and a noun: ...
- Tip. A clause that has 'to' can be used as the subject of a sentence: ...
- 'To' as an Adverb.
“Far” is not a verb. The mistake is in the word “to”, which as others have correctly pointed out should be “too”. “They went too far.”
How to use "I too" in a sentence? ›
"I, too," is more traditional, but "I too" is acceptable. It's commonly considered correct to use commas around the word “too” when it appears in the middle of a sentence—for instance, “I, too, enjoy a good banana”—but it's not totally necessary, and odds are your English teacher won't be a stickler about it.
“Me, too” or “me too” — never “me to” in the way that you mean it. “Who wants ice cream?” “Me!” “Me too!” “too” means “also.” That would never be “me to;” “to” is a word that introduces a phrase. “Are you taking me to the doctor's?”
What are the three meanings of to? ›
To is a very common word that performs many different functions, such as expressing direction (I'm driving to the office) or contact (Pin it to the wall), indicating an object or recipient (Give it to me), or setting a range (9 to 5) or limit (These go to 11).
Is it too fast or to fast? ›
“To fast” refers to not eating for a period of time, often for religious reasons. It's an action. On the other hand, “too fast” talks about speed. It means something is moving or happening quicker than it should.
When should I use too? ›
“Too” is an adverb. It can be used to replace words such as “excessively”, “additionally”, “as well” or “also”. “To”, on the other hand, is a versatile preposition that can be used in various situations and contexts. It's used to indicate a direction, like “toward” and “*ntil”.
When should I use to? ›
We use to with verbs such as give, hand, send, write, to indicate the person or thing that receives or experiences the object of the verb: I [V]gave [O]the keys to [receiver]Jane.
Is it to or too late? ›
"To late" is not a correct phrase because it is a misspelling of the phrase "too late." The correct phrase is "too late," which is an adverb that means "after the correct or desired time." For example, if you are running late for an appointment, you might say, "It's too late; I'm already late."
What is an example of using too to? ›
TOO + ADJECTIVE/ ADVERB + TO –INFINITIVE
It's too hard to finish the project by Friday. She's too short to reach the shelf. She draws too terribly to win the first prize. The teacher is reading too quickly for me to catch up with.
What is the wrong use of too? ›
It is a more common English grammar mistake for people to use the word 'to' when they mean 'too' than vice versa, so make sure you remember to use this form when you are talking about something being 'too' much.
Where do you put too in a sentence? ›
Too can occur immediately after the subject, if it refers directly to the subject. It does not normally occur after a modal or auxiliary verb. We sometimes write commas before and after too: I too thought she looked unwell.
