TfLvstoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: TfL is a name, to is a particle, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“TfL” is a name and “to” is a particle - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#34,318
“TfL” frequency rank
#2
“to” frequency rank
34320
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature TfL to
Definition Initialism of Transport for London. A particle used for marking the following verb as an infinitive.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set TfL and to apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
TfL
2 ch
to

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: TfL is aname and toaparticle. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34320, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

TfL is recorded at frequency rank #34,318, classified as aname. to is at rank #2, tagged as aparticle, pronounced /tuː/.

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 34320, this pair ranks #321,828 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of TfL vs to

Shared letters: t. Private to "TfL": fl. Private to "to": o.

"TfL" · 3 letters · shape CCC  ·  "to" · 2 letters · shape CV

Frequency comparison

TfL#34,318
to#2

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "TfL" and "to" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "TfL" is a name and "to" a particle, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "TfL" or "to"?
"to" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2 in our English list, against #34,318 for "TfL". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering TfL vs to

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a name, it's “TfL”; for a particle, it's “to”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “TfL” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list