Two, to, and too

Two, to, and too sound alike, but they mean different things. We're going to discuss some tricks to use when you're trying to figure out which one you need in your sentence.

Two

Two refers to the number 2. Use it when the word is communicating that there are 2 objects or people.

It was two o'clock in the morning.
There were two slices of pie left.
There are two people in front of me in line.

To

To tells you that someone of something is going somewhere, or is moving towards something.

I went to the store.
She took me to the doctor.
We walked to the waterfront.

The idea that to is moving towards something is a little bit tricky. Notice this sentence:

He said that in order to complete the assignment, we should read the book.

Notice that he said “to complete the assignment.” This shows that he wants to move something towards completion.

We wanted to create a web page.

Notice that “to create” shows a desire to move towards creating a web page.

Too

Too is used to emphasize something. You can usually substitute too for also.

We'd like to go, too.
This, too, is important.
Shari wants to participate, too.

* Notice that too, when used like also, always has a comma before it if it is at the end of a sentence, and has a comma before and after it if it is in the middle of a sentence.

Too can also be used to express an excess of something.

There are too many of us here today.
I have too much homework.
There is too little being done to save the polar bears.