To-do or todo?
to-do is a noun meaning “A fuss made over something”; todo is a noun meaning “Alternative form of to-do”. to-do is written with a hyphen and todo as one word; they are used differently.
What is the difference between to-do and todo?
| to-do | todo | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | noun | noun |
| Meaning | A fuss made over something A task that has been noted as one that must be completed, especially on a list | Alternative form of to-do |
| Example | I was embarrassed that they made such a big to-do out of my birthday | none recorded |
| Forms | to-dos | todos |
| Pronunciation | not recorded | not recorded |
| In writing | not counted (the list counts single words) | about once in every 1 million words |
Sources: to-do and todo in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of to-do and todo
to-do
- 1
A fuss made over something
I was embarrassed that they made such a big to-do out of my birthday
- 2
A task that has been noted as one that must be completed, especially on a list
My to-do list has been growing longer every day
todo
- 1
Alternative form of to-do
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, to-do or todo?
to-do is a phrase, which the list of single words does not count; todo about once in every 1 million words.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).