Too vs to vs two: simple tips to help you remember

TOO vs TO vs TWO – simple tips to remember the difference

TOO, TO and TWO are easy to confuse. They may sound the same but they have different uses. These simple tips will help you decide which word you need.

When to use too

TOO is an adverb meaning as well or excessively.

For example:

“I’m going to the park too.”
OR
“I can’t go because it’s too far.”

To help you remember which spelling you need, think O + O = as + well
OR
Two Ss in exceSSive and two Os in too

When to use to

To is a useful preposition that has several meanings. It’s also the most common of the three spellings.

It can be used to indicate a direction, goal, place of arrival or a period of time.

For example:

“I’m going to the shop.”
“The shop is open from 7am to 9pm.”

To can also be used to show the infinitive form of a verb, like this:

“I’m going to buy a newspaper” = to buy
“She needs to leave soon” = to leave

When to use two

Though it’s far less likely to be confused with to and too, the spelling two is the easy one to remember, as it’s only ever the number 2 spelled out.

For example:

“The park is two miles away.”
OR
“Just the two of us.”

I hope these tips help you remember the difference between too, to and two. Feel free to share your tips if you have a different way of remembering.

Get more tips in The Little Book of Confusables