To Far or Too Far? Grammar Explained (Helpful Examples)

You can use “too” as a modifier for common adjectives like “far.” However, there are some people that mistake the spelling of “too,” allowing for phrases like “to far” to exist. These are not correct, and this article will help you to understand how to get them right.

Is It To Far or Too Far?

“Too far” is the only correct form you should use. It works because “too” allows us to modify the meaning of “far.” It shows that something is an “excessive amount” of distance away, making it unappealing to travel there. “To far” is never correct because “to” is only a preposition.

to or too far

Perhaps you’d like to look into these examples to see how “too far” works:

  • Correct: I thought it was too far away, so I didn’t fancy going any further than that!
  • Incorrect: It’s not to far! Maybe you can keep coming along with me until we get there!

“Too far” is the only instance that makes sense. “Too” is an adverb, and we can use it to modify verbs or adjectives. In this case, it modifies the adjective form “far.”

To Far

It is never correct to use “to far.” There are no instances where the preposition “to” makes sense before the adjective “far.” It’s best to leave this out of your writing to show that you have a firm understanding of how “too” works as an adverb.

  • Correct: It’s not too far, man! You should just keep up with us, and we’ll be there in no time.
  • Incorrect: I’m sorry, but it’s just to far to justify the travel! I can’t afford to go all that way without any payout.
  • Correct: It might be a bit too far. Perhaps we can sort something out to help us both get there without much worry!
  • Incorrect: It’s to far for my liking. I’ll have to find some other way to go about this.
  • Correct: Do you think it’s too far? I thought we might get a nice trip out of it!
  • Incorrect: Well, it’s not to far, but I still think it’s better if we stay home this weekend. We’ll have more fun here.

Too Far

“Too far” is the only grammatically correct form. You should use it because “too” is an adverb that modifies the meaning of the adjective “far.” It’s a good way to show that something is a great distance away, and you might not want to travel to it.

“To” and “too” are never synonymous in this case. You should only ever use the double “O” spelling to show that you understand how the adverb works.

  1. It’s too far away! Isn’t there anything that you can do to help us get there sooner?
  2. I think it’s a bit too far, and I would like to try something that’s a little closer to home next time!
  3. No! It’s too far away! I won’t allow you to go to that school. We’ll never see you again, and I can’t take that!
  4. I think you’re going too far away from your family. You’ll miss us sooner or later, and we’ll be right here waiting for you.
  5. I want her to go far away but not too far. I don’t want to have to spend hours traveling if I want to see her again.

Why Do People Tend To Spell It Wrong?

It’s common for people to spell it wrong because “to” and “too” are pronounced the same. When said aloud, they both sound like the number “two,” which causes confusion for some people when it comes to spelling the words.

How To Remember If The Correct Spelling Is “To Far” or “Too Far”

It’s time to go over a quick tip to help you remember which is the correct spelling!

“Too far” is the correct form. You can remember this because it refers to an excessive distance and contains an extra (and excessive) “O” in the word “too.” Two “O’s” are always present in the adverb form, but only one is present in the prepositional form.

Final Thoughts

“Too far” is the only correct form when you want to write in a way that expresses a really long way to travel. You should only use “too” because it’s the adverbial form that works best. “To far” is a common misspelling, but you should not use it in any situation.

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