Which to use
“to” is a num and “toa” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,128
- “to” frequency rank
- #39,489
- “toa” frequency rank
- 40617
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | to | toa |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Dos. | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de toar. |
Where the eye mixes to and toa
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses to with toa
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: to is [toːˀ] while toa is [ˈt̪oa]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “to” sits inside “toa”, and the parts of speech differ too (num vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40617, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
to is recorded at frequency rank #1,128, classified as anum, pronounced [toːˀ]. toa is at rank #39,489, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt̪oa].
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 40617, this pair ranks #158,108 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of to vs toa
Shared letters: ot. Private to "to": -. Private to "toa": a.
"to" · 2 letters · shape CV · "toa" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "to" for "toa" ever safe?
Which is more common, "to" or "toa"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "to" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "toa" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #158,108 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "to" and "toa" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "toa vs toys". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #158,108 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.