"To” vs. “Too” vs. “Two”
This is a big one. I see this mistake all the time, way more than would typically be expected from typos alone.
“To” is one of the more widely used words in the English language and has eight million several different definitions and parts of speech. In its most common contexts, it is used as part of infinitive verb phrases, such as in “to eat” or “to go,” and as a preposition with widespread connotations, such as in “Let’s go to the store,” “Give it to me,” “The Cubs are down 84 to 11 to the Pirates,” or “To this day, I hate mushrooms.” Think of it as the default of the two.
“Too,” on the other hand, is different. It can mean “in addition,” as in “I want to go, too!” or “You two hate to eat mushrooms and onions, too,” or can refer to excess or degree, as in “You are too funny!” “I drank too much last night,” or “Tom wasn’t too amused by Hannah’s theatrics.”
“Two” is simply the number 2, exclusively. (On a related note, in formal writing, numbers between 0-10 (some say 0-9, but it’s a typically a matter of preference) should be written out, as in “I have two siblings,” “There is zero doubt in my mind,” or “I was ten-and-a-half when the younger of the two was born,” while larger numbers are typically written in numerical format, as in “There are 8,459 other things I should be doing right now,” or “Dude, I like totally drank like 12 beers last weekend.”)
When in doubt, use “to,” but remember that if you’re meaning to say “in addition” or “to an excessive degree,” use “too.” If you’re referring to a numerical amount, use “two.”
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Brian Stacey
2010 Dec 7 at 19:22
im trying to write this
please add your postcodes from, too?
or should it read from, to?
please advise what is the correct use of to/too
sue
2011 Apr 27 at 05:30
to….as From: Debbie To: Aunt Mae.
Unless, they are asking you to add the postcards from (:) also.
One would have to read the whole sentence to be sure.
Deborah Griffin
2011 Jun 2 at 08:59
Question:
What about, “I am afraid she will bite it in two (or to)? I am pretty sure it is two as in “two pieces,” but want to make very sure.
Deborah Griffin
2011 Jun 2 at 08:57
That’s definitely “two”
pollymccall
2011 Jul 28 at 12:53
wow people.
to = used in the sense of going or giving “to” somewhere, someone
too = when describing “excessive” as in “too much chocolate”, or when using it in the sense of “as well” eg. “me too”
two = is a number, plain and simple. So any reference to a 2 pieces or 2 anything, than it’s “two”
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2011 Jul 8 at 16:13
Thanks, very clear and helpful
Tom
2011 Sep 9 at 12:41
To. too, two when used in a sentence is obvious you have made it much clearer for those who have doubt. Great post!
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2011 Oct 20 at 14:56
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