How do you remember whether to use ‘to’ or ‘too’ in a sentence?

They both sound alike, but I’m not sure they qualify as being a homonym as they are pronounced slightly differently; too having a slightly longer stress on the oo than to.

Getting them mixed up is a common mistake, but one that is easily avoided if you remember a few simple rules.

‘To‘ is a going word.

It implies motion whether physical or metaphorical. From one place to another or from one state to another: “We are going to Tooting”; “His mood swung from bad to good”. ‘To’ can also be a connecting word, as in, “He was handcuffed to the policeman”.

It can also be used to express purpose or intent, “I went out to do some shopping” and to indicate a desired or advisable action as in, “The instruction leaflet explains how to make it”.

‘Too’ is a more word.

‘Too‘ is used to increase something, whether the thing itself or the meaning of something: “There’s too much porridge on my plate”; “No job too big”. It implies excessiveness.

It is also used to add something to a statement, sometimes in place of ‘as well’, or ‘also’: “Jane is coming too“.

I always remember that the more letter Os there are in the word, the more it is a more word, an increased thing.

In Summary

To:

To a place/somewhere (We’re going to the cinema)

To a thing (Handcuffed to a pillar)

To a person (That was an awful thing you did to her)

To a feeling (From one feeling to another)

Too:

Too little too late

Too far to go

I’ve got too much

It’s too hard

What method do you use to remember which to/too to use?