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To, Too, Two: 30 Real Mistakes and How to Fix Them

"To," "too," and "two" are pronounced identically, so this confusion affects anyone who types quickly, not only language learners. The examples below are real sentences that people sent to Proofread Bot over the years. Most of the errors fall into a small number of patterns, and each pattern has a simple fix.

The corrections are written in formal, academic English, so contractions are spelled out in full. Where a contracted form is common in everyday writing, it is shown underneath as the informal version.

The short version

To indicates direction ("go to school") or introduces a verb ("to eat"). It is by far the most frequent of the three.
Too means "also" ("me too") or "excessively" ("too hot"). The extra o can be remembered as "extra" or "also."
Two is the number 2. It shares its w with twin, twelve, and twice.

1. "To" where "also" is meant

This error usually occurs at the very end of a sentence.

✗ I like pizza to.
✓ I like pizza too.

✗ I went to the store to.
✓ I went to the store too.

✗ I am going to school to.
✓ I am going to school too.

✗ I like to eat pizza to.
✓ I like to eat pizza too.

✗ We have to go to the grocery store and the mall, to.
✓ We have to go to the grocery store and the mall, too.

Test: replace the word with "as well." If "I like pizza as well" makes sense, the correct word is too. A comma before a final "too" is optional; both "I like pizza too" and "I like pizza, too" are correct. In academic prose, "also" or "as well" usually reads better than a sentence-final "too."

2. "To" where "excessively" is meant

✗ You're running to fast.
✓ You are running too fast.
Informal: You're running too fast.

✗ He used to much salt.
✓ He used too much salt.

✗ The rain was to cold.
✓ The rain was too cold.

✗ Joey had had to many candy bars.
✓ Joey had had too many candy bars.

✗ Grandpa awoke from his trance, only to find he was to late to save himself.
✓ Grandpa awoke from his trance, only to find he was too late to save himself.

The last example contains three instances of the sound, and only the middle one is wrong. When the person who submitted it tried to correct it, they changed the wrong one. Test: replace the word with "excessively." "He was excessively late" is clumsy but meaningful, so the word is too. "Only excessively find" is meaningless, so that one remains to.

Note that "Joey had had" is not a typing error. It is the past perfect of the verb "have," and it is grammatically correct.

3. "Too" where a plain "to" belongs

This is overcorrection: writers who know that "to" is often wrong begin adding an extra o everywhere.

✗ Jane is going too the store.
✓ Jane is going to the store.

✗ I want too eat ice cream.
✓ I want to eat ice cream.

✗ We are trying too install the latest versions.
✓ We are trying to install the latest versions.

✗ Do you know the way too the bathroom?
✓ Do you know the way to the bathroom?

✗ I like too eat bread.
✓ I like to eat bread.

✗ Get up and go too school every day.
✓ Get up and go to school every day.

If the next word is a verb (eat, install, buy) or the phrase names a destination (the store, school), the correct word is to.

4. "To" or "too" for the number

✗ She is to years old.
✓ She is two years old.

✗ I want to eat to sandwiches.
✓ I want to eat two sandwiches.

✗ I have to cats and two dogs.
✓ I have two cats and two dogs.

✗ There are to people waiting.
✓ There are two people waiting.

✗ Too plus too equals four.
✓ Two plus two equals four.

"I have to cats and two dogs" is revealing: the writer spelled the number correctly the second time, which shows that the error was a typing slip rather than a gap in knowledge.

5. "Two" where "to" or "too" is needed

✗ "I have two start on my math homework right away," said Dan.
✓ "I have to start on my math homework right away," said Dan.

✗ He went two my house.
✓ He went to my house.

✗ Alex wants some cake two.
✓ Alex wants some cake too.

✗ I went with them two.
✓ I went with them too.

✗ Two bad.
✓ Too bad.

Test: could the digit 2 be written instead? If not, the word is not two.

6. All three confused together

✗ I went two the super market too buy to hotdogs.
✓ I went to the supermarket to buy two hot dogs.

✗ There were to little lambs in the too barn houses.
✓ There were two little lambs in the two barns.

✗ Your going to fast.
✓ You are going too fast.
Informal: You're going too fast.

✗ Their hungry n tired two.
✓ They are hungry and tired, too.
Informal: They're hungry and tired, too.

A to/too/two error frequently appears next to a your/you're or their/they're error. They share the same cause: typing the sound instead of the word. See our list of their, there, they're mistakes for that set.

The quick check

Could you write the digit 2? Use two.
Could you say "also" or "excessively"? Use too.
Anything else? Use to.

Let a second reader catch them

These errors are rarely spotted on rereading, because the sentence sounds correct in the writer's head. A proofreading tool reads the actual letters. Paste your text into Proofread Bot and it will flag each to/too/two error, together with the other sound-alike mistakes that tend to accompany it and any contractions that are too informal for academic writing.

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