Sometimes the smallest words cause the biggest spelling mistakes. If you’ve ever wondered whether it is too early or to early, the correct phrase is almost always too early.
The confusion comes from the fact that to and too sound alike in many sentences, but they serve completely different grammatical purposes. Once you understand what each word does, choosing the right one becomes much easier.
Too Early or To Early: The Quick Answer
The correct phrase is:
- too early
- to early
Use too early when you mean that something happens before the appropriate, expected, or desired time.
For example:
It’s too early to leave.
I arrived too early for the meeting.
We came too early and had to wait outside.
The phrase to early is generally incorrect when you’re trying to express the idea of something happening before the right time.
What Does “Too Early” Mean?
Too early means earlier than is appropriate, necessary, expected, or wanted.
The word too adds the idea of excess. In this case, it means something happened at an earlier time than it should have.
For example:
You’re here too early.
This suggests that the person arrived before the appropriate time.
Compare that with:
You’re here early.
This simply says the person arrived before the expected time. It doesn’t necessarily suggest that the arrival was a problem.
That small difference is important.
Why Is It “Too Early” Instead of “To Early”?
The answer comes down to the difference between to and too.
What Does “Too” Mean?
Too can mean:
- More than necessary or desirable
- Also or as well
In too early, it has the first meaning.
The meeting starts at 10, so 8:00 is too early.
The speaker thinks 8:00 is earlier than necessary or appropriate.
What Does “To” Mean?
To is usually used as a preposition or as part of an infinitive verb.
Examples include:
I’m going to work.
Give the book to Sarah.
I want to leave.
It does not normally modify the adjective early to create the phrase to early.
That’s why to early is incorrect when you mean “earlier than appropriate.”
Is It Too Early or To Early?
If you’re asking “is it too early or to early?”, the answer is too early.
A quick test is to replace too with very or excessively.
For example:
Is it too early to call?
You could say:
Is it very early to call?
or:
Is it excessively early to call?
The sentence still makes sense, which tells you that too is doing the job of indicating an excessive degree.
Too Early vs Early
These expressions aren’t exactly the same.
Early
Early simply means before the expected or usual time.
She arrived early.
This is neutral. She arrived before the expected time.
Too Early
Too early means she arrived earlier than was appropriate or desirable.
She arrived too early.
This may suggest that she had to wait, that the place wasn’t ready, or that the timing was inconvenient.
For example:
I arrived early for my appointment.
This could be positive.
I arrived too early for my appointment.
This suggests that I arrived earlier than I should have.
“Came Too Early” — Is This Correct?
Yes. Came too early is grammatically correct.
For example:
We came too early, so the restaurant wasn’t open yet.
I think I came too early for the interview.
They came too early and waited in the parking lot.
Here, too modifies early and communicates that the arrival happened earlier than appropriate.
Came Early vs Came Too Early
Compare these:
I came early.
This simply means you arrived before the expected time.
I came too early.
This means you arrived earlier than was appropriate or convenient.
The word too adds the idea of excess.
To or Too Early: A Simple Grammar Trick
When you’re unsure whether to write to early or too early, ask yourself:
Am I saying “earlier than necessary or appropriate”?
If the answer is yes, use too.
Examples
Is it too early to call?
It’s too early to know the answer.
We left too early.
She woke up too early.
He arrived too early for the appointment.
In each sentence, too indicates that the timing is earlier than desired or appropriate.
Common Sentences With “Too Early”
Here are some everyday examples:
- It’s too early to make a decision.
- You’re too early for the party.
- We woke up too early this morning.
- Is it too early to book the tickets?
- I think I called too early.
- They came too early for the event.
- It’s too early to tell.
- We started too early and ran out of energy later.
These are all natural uses of too early.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake 1: “To Early”
It is to early to leave.
It is too early to leave.
Mistake 2: “Is It To Early?”
Is it to early to call him?
Is it too early to call him?
Mistake 3: Confusing “Too” With “Two”
Two refers to the number 2.
I have two books.
Too means excessively or also.
It’s too cold outside.
To usually indicates direction, relationship, or forms an infinitive.
I’m going to school.
Keeping these three words separate will eliminate most common mistakes.
How to Remember “Too Early”
A simple trick is to remember:
Too = more than needed
So:
Too early = earlier than needed
For example:
The movie starts at 8:00, but we arrived at 6:00.
We can say:
We arrived too early.
The timing was more early than necessary.
Another useful memory trick is that too has an extra o.
Think:
too = extra
The extra o can remind you of the idea of “more than necessary.”
When Is “To” Correct?
Although to early is incorrect, to can appear before early when it belongs to a different grammatical structure.
For example:
I don’t want to arrive early.
Here, to belongs to the infinitive to arrive, not to the word early.
Similarly:
She decided to leave early.
The correct structure is:
to + verb + early
not:
to + early
This distinction is useful because you may see to and early close together in a sentence without them forming the phrase to early.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it too early or to early?
The correct phrase is too early when you mean earlier than appropriate, expected, or necessary.
Is “to early” ever correct?
Not as the standard phrase meaning “earlier than appropriate.” However, to can appear before a verb that is followed by early, as in “I want to arrive early.”
How do you spell “too early”?
It is spelled too early: T-O-O E-A-R-L-Y.
Is it too early or too soon?
Both can be correct, but they aren’t always interchangeable. Too early focuses on timing relative to a point in time, while too soon often emphasizes that something is happening before enough time has passed.
For example:
It’s too early to arrive.
It’s too soon to make a decision.
Is “came too early” correct?
Yes. Came too early is grammatically correct when someone arrived earlier than appropriate or expected.
We came too early, so we had to wait.
What is the difference between “early” and “too early”?
Early means before the expected time. Too early means before the appropriate or desirable time.
Is “too early to tell” correct?
Yes. Too early to tell is a common expression meaning that not enough time or information has passed to know the answer.
It’s too early to tell whether the plan will work.
How can I remember to use “too”?
Think of too as meaning more than necessary. If something happens earlier than necessary, write too early.
Conclusion: Too Early or To Early?
When choosing between too early or to early, use too early when you mean something happened before the appropriate, expected, or desired time.
Remember the basic rule:
- Too early = earlier than necessary or appropriate
- Early = before the expected time
- To = usually a preposition or part of an infinitive
So phrases such as “is it too early?”, “came too early,” and “too early to tell” are all correct.
When in doubt, remember that too expresses an excess. If something happened earlier than it should have, too early is the phrase you want.
