How to Use To, Too and Two Correctly

Homophones are words that are spelled differently but sound alike, and have different meanings and usage. It's easy to confuse them, particularly when you have three homophones. Follow these steps to differentiate from among "to," "too" and "two."

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

1. Classify "to" as a preposition. A preposition indicates the directional, spatial or logical relationship of its object to the rest of the sentence. It is used at the beginning of a prepositional phrase (to the store, to the market) or an infinitive (to run, to play).

2. Categorize "too" as an adverb. An adverb is similar to an adjective, but rather than modifying a noun or pronoun, an adverb modifies all words that are not nouns or pronouns. The word that an adverb modifies most often is a verb. "Too" is used to denote something as excessive (too expensive, too young) or to indicate an addition (I want a puppy, too. We need milk, too).

3. Use "two" as a number. It is used to show quantity. For example, "I have two children" and "We need two pounds of hamburger."

Tips & Warnings

• Most grammar-check tools as part of a word processing program will catch the misuse of "to," "too" and "two." But errors can occur, so watch for these words.