Word Choice: Two, To and Too

The English language’s annoying habit of persistent homophony – having multiple words which are pronounced exactly the same but have different meanings and spellings – is one of many reasons that it doesn’t get invited to other languages’ parties very often.

The words ‘to’, ‘two’ and ‘too’ are great examples of this, as they sound alike and share similar spellings, yet it is vital not to confuse them in your academic writing. Herein, we provide a quick overview of what these words mean and how to use them, so hopefully you should be able to avoid confusion in the future.

Two (A Number)

We’ll start with ‘two’, which is probably the easiest to remember, since ‘two’ is a number that can also be expressed with the Arabic numeral ‘2’ (coming after ‘one’ and before ‘three’):

I have two legs, but camels have four.

In academic writing, it is usually preferable to use ‘two’ rather than ‘2’ (as is typically the case for any number under ten).

To (A Preposition and an Infinitive)

The word ‘to’ is a remarkably versatile combination of letters, serving as either a preposition or a marker of an infinitive in different contexts. When used as a preposition, ‘to’ always precedes a noun and can indicate a number of things, including direction, possession and temporal duration (among others):

I am going to the shops.

The shop belongs to Mr Lall.

I hate working nine to five.

As an infinitive, ‘to’ always precedes a verb and can fulfil various functions, such as expressing a purpose (i.e. ‘in order to’) or, when following an adjective, giving an opinion:

I bought the camel ranch to cheer her up, but she didn’t like it.

It’s unwise to open a camel ranch without any camels.

Too (An Adverb)

Which leaves us with ‘too’, an adverb meaning ‘additionally’ or ‘excessively’ depending on the context. In the former case, is basically means the same as ‘also’:

If you’re going to the shops, I’m going too.

The latter sense of ‘too’ indicates a surfeit of something or that something is particularly extreme:

There are far too many camels on this ranch.

I’m too scared to go outside with all of those camels waiting there.

Two, To or Too?

The good thing is that you don’t need to memorise every sense in which ‘two’, ‘to’ and ‘too’ can be employed in order to know which to use in any given situation. Rather, you just need to remember the following:

• Is the word you need a number? If so, then it is ‘two’.
• Can the word be replaced by ‘also’ or ‘excessively’? If so, the word is ‘too’.
• Do neither of the above apply? Then the word you need is ‘to’.