tovstutWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: to is a particle, tut is an intj, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

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

#2
“to” frequency rank
#31,384
“tut” frequency rank
31386
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature to tut
Definition A particle used for marking the following verb as an infinitive. Tut tut; an expression of disapproval.

Where the spellings diverge

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

2 ch
to
3 ch
tut

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

to and tut form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31386, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

to is recorded at frequency rank #2, classified as aparticle, pronounced /tuː/. tut is at rank #31,384, tagged as anintj, pronounced /tʌt/.

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 31386, this pair ranks #346,595 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

to#2
tut#31,384

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "to" and "tut" be used interchangeably?
No, "to" and "tut" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering to vs tut

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a particle, it's “to”; for an intj, it's “tut”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “to” 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