How to pronounce to
Say it like tih. To is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
- tih
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
To pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- tihKeep this part quick and light. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
American vs British pronunciation of to
American and British speakers say to in essentially the same way: /tɪ/ in the US and /tə/ in the UK.
British respelling: tuh.
What does to mean?
- A particle used for marking the following verb as an infinitive.“I want to leave.”
- As above, with the verb implied.“"Did you visit the museum?" "I wanted to, but it was closed."”
- Used to indicate an obligation on the part of, or a directive given to, the subject.“You are to go to the store and buy a bottle of milk.”
- In order to.“I went to the shops to buy some bread.”
- In the direction of; towards.“She looked to the heavens.”
- Indicating destination or final position: In the direction of, so as to arrive at or reach.“We are walking to the shop.”
- Used to indicate the target or recipient of an action.“I gave the book to him.”
Where does to come from?
From Middle English to, from Old English tō, from Proto-Germanic *tō ~ *ta, from Proto-Indo-European *de ~ *do (“to”).
Similar and opposite words
Similar meaning
Opposite meaning
Questions about saying to
How do you pronounce to?
Say tih. The American pronunciation is /tɪ/. In British English it is /tə/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in to?
To is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: tih.
Do Americans and Brits say to the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /tɪ/ and the British form is /tə/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.