To vs. Too — Differences, Uses, & Examples
To vs. too
To is a preposition; a word that demonstrates the relationship between two things. It can also show motion toward a point, making it the opposite of from.
Too is an adverb that indicates an excessive amount, higher degree, or agreement. It is also used synonymously with really, also, or in addition.
As homophones (words that have the same pronunciation but different meanings or spellings), to and too are often misused. Use these English language grammar rules above to choose the correct word.
When to use to or too
As a preposition, to is used to indicate the following:
Destination or direction – going to the store; his house is to the left
Receiver of an action – to him; to her; to John
Time – ten to six; quarter to five; Monday to Friday
Approximate numbers – five to ten people; twenty to thirty pounds; ten to fifteen miles
To is also used before a verb to create the to + infinitive form:
He loves to dive into the pool headfirst.
She needs to leave school early today.
They have to go to the grocery store and the gas station.
Too is always an adverb used in to indicate an excessive amount:
The teacher gave the class too many pages to read over the weekend.
When in need of a word that means more, use the word too with more “Os.”
The word too can also be synonymous with really, also, and in addition; often at the end of a sentence.
To check if the word too works in your sentence, replace it with one of the above synonyms; if it makes sense, it is correct:
He, too, wants to go to the movies.
He also wants to go to the movies.
To vs. too examples
To as a preposition:
Let’s go to New York next year.
Jane gave the gift to Mark before the party.
He only has to work Monday to Thursday this week.
There were approximately five to ten people on the bus.
To + infinitive verb form:
He wanted to jump into the pool, but it was still covered.
She had to listen closely because the teacher spoke quietly.
They were about to run outside, but then thunder struck.
Too indicating an excessive amount or higher degree:
There were far too many balloons at the birthday party.
John said that he was too old to go down the slide.
It's best to avoid eating too much food before a marathon.
Too meaning really, also, or in addition:
Melanie wanted to ride the roller coaster, too.
He, too, liked the book more than the movie.
They need to leave before it gets dark, too.
To vs. too vs. two
Since it is a numeral, two is not typically misused as often as to and too. Since two is always a number, it is either used as a noun or an adjective:
As a noun, two can identify a number of people:
What were the two of them doing?
As an adjective, it can describe a noun. In this example it describes the number of days:
He wanted to take at least two days off.