2. Some Commonly
Confused Words
These pairs or sets of words are often
confused and used incorrectly:
Alright / All right
Who’s / Whose
Too / To / Two
3. All right / Alright
• The words all right mean everything is fine or correct.
Ex:
The children held up their answers and they
were all right.
• The word alright means OK or satisfactory.
Ex:
Yesterday I felt sick, but today I feel alright.
To figure out if you need two words or one, substitute the
word “correct” for the word “right”. If it makes sense,
then it is likely that you need two words, not one.
4. Who’s / Whose
• Who’s is a contraction of the words who and is.
Ex:
Who’s in charge here?
• Whose is a pronoun asking to whom something
belongs.
Ex:
Whose car is this?
As is the case with most contractions, substitution is the
key to ruling out who’s. If “who is” fits in the sentence,
then you need the contraction.
5. To / Too / Two
• To is a preposition indication place, movement, or location.
Ex:
I am giving cookies to my class.
• Too is an adverb meaning “excessively” or “also”.
Ex:
You are too cute.
I want a cookie, too.
• Two is the word for the number 2. This one is rarely confused for
the others in writing, but it sounds the same.
Ex:
I would like two cookies.
Ask yourself if the word you need is the number. If not, try
substituting in “excessively” or “also”. If you rule those out, then
you know you need the spelling without the extra o.
6. How to Answer These Questions
Correctly
1. Always double check these words for
accuracy in your writing and when editing.
2. Rule out the contractions first by substituting
in the two words being combined.
3. Be familiar with these commonly confused
words and don’t let them trick you!
