# told

> English word · Verb · IPA /təʊld/ · frequency rank #268

## Definitions
1. simple past and past participle of tell

## Etymology
From Middle English tolde, talde (first and third person singular preterite), from Old English tealde (first and third person singular preterite), from Proto-Germanic *talid-, preterite stem of Proto-Germanic *taljaną (“to count; tell”), equivalent to tell + -ed.

## Easily confused with
- **too** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/told-vs-too)
- **top** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/told-vs-top)
- **tom** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/told-vs-tom)
- **toy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/told-vs-toy)
- **ton** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/told-vs-ton)
- **tow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/told-vs-tow)
- **tor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/told-vs-tor)
- **TOS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/told-vs-tos)
- **tot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/told-vs-tot)
- **TOV** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/told-vs-tov)
- **took** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/told-vs-took)
- **town** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/told-vs-town)
- **tour** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/told-vs-tour)
- **Tony** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/told-vs-tony)
- **tool** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/told-vs-tool)
- **tone** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/told-vs-tone)
- **tons** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/told-vs-tons)
- **toys** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/told-vs-toys)
- **toll** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/told-vs-toll)
- **torn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/told-vs-torn)

## Common misspellings (6)
`otld`, `tlod`, `todl`, `toldd`, `tolld`, `ttold`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/told