Too and enough are both about quantity or degree, but they pull in opposite directions. Too means "more than is good, wanted, or possible" — it usually signals a problem or an obstacle. Enough means "sufficient" — the right amount or more. In negative sentences, not enough means less than needed, which is also a problem.
- The coffee is too hot. (I can't drink it — it's a problem.)
- The coffee is cool enough to drink. (Fine — just the right temperature.)
Getting these two words right makes your English sound much more natural, so they're well worth a few minutes.
Quick shortcut: Too goes before adjectives and adverbs. Enough goes after adjectives and adverbs, but before nouns.
Too: more than needed or wanted
Place too directly before an adjective or adverb:
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| too + adjective | The box is too heavy to lift. |
| too + adjective | It's too cold to go out. |
| too + adverb | She speaks too fast for me. |
| too + adverb | You arrived too late. |
Too always carries a negative meaning — a problem or an obstacle. A useful contrast: very is a neutral intensifier, while too signals a problem. Compare: ✅ She's very tall (neutral observation) vs ✅ She's too tall (implies a problem, e.g. she can't fit through the door). They are not interchangeable: ❌ She's very tall to reach the shelf is not the right pattern — use ✅ She's tall enough to reach the shelf if she can, or ✅ She's too short to reach the shelf if she can't.
Too much and too many
When the problem is with a noun rather than an adjective or adverb, use too much (with uncountable nouns) or too many (with countable nouns). For a full overview of much/many as quantity words, see Some, any, much, many, a lot of.
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| too much + uncountable noun | There's too much traffic today. |
| too much + uncountable noun | I ate too much sugar. |
| too many + countable noun | There are too many people here. |
| too many + countable noun | He made too many mistakes. |
You can also use too much and too many without a noun when the noun is clear from context:
- "Do you want more coffee?" — "No thanks, I've already had too much."
- "Did you make any errors?" — "Yes, too many."
Enough: the right amount (or more)
Enough changes position depending on what follows it.
After adjectives and adverbs
When enough modifies an adjective or adverb, it comes after the adjective/adverb:
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| adjective + enough | Is the soup warm enough? |
| adjective + enough | She's old enough to drive. |
| adverb + enough | He didn't run fast enough. |
| adverb + enough | You spoke clearly enough — I understood everything. |
A very common mistake is putting enough before the adjective: ✅ tall enough — never ❌ enough tall.
Before nouns
When enough modifies a noun, it comes before the noun:
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| enough + noun | Is there enough time? |
| enough + noun | We have enough food for everyone. |
| enough + noun | I didn't have enough money. |
Enough + noun works with uncountable nouns and plural countable nouns: enough time, enough chairs. Singular countable forms like ❌ enough chair are not used.
After verbs
Enough can also follow a verb directly when it means "a sufficient amount":
- Did you eat enough?
- He didn't study enough to pass the exam.
- I don't sleep enough.
Too / enough + to-infinitive
Both too and enough very often lead into a to + verb phrase that explains the result or the action that is (or isn't) possible. This is sometimes called the result infinitive — different from the to + verb of purpose you may have seen in Infinitive of purpose (to + verb).
Too + adjective + to + verb (the problem prevents the action):
- The water is too hot to drink.
- I was too tired to go out.
- He's too young to drive.
Adjective + enough + to + verb (the quality makes the action possible):
- She's tall enough to reach the top shelf.
- Is it warm enough to sit outside?
- I don't feel confident enough to speak in public.
You can extend the pattern with for + someone to say who the situation affects:
- The film is too scary for young children to watch.
- The exercise is easy enough for beginners to do.
- It's too expensive for me to buy right now.
Common mistakes
- ❌ She is enough old to drive. → ✅ She is old enough to drive. (enough comes after the adjective)
- ❌ It's enough warm outside. → ✅ It's warm enough outside.
- ❌ The bag is very heavy to carry. → ✅ The bag is too heavy to carry. (very doesn't signal a problem — use too)
- ❌ I have too much many bags. → ✅ I have too many bags. (too many, not too much many)
- ❌ He speaks too fast for understand him. → ✅ He speaks too fast for me to understand him. (use for + person + to + base verb when you say who has the difficulty)
- ❌ There isn't enough of time. → ✅ There isn't enough time. (no of between enough and the noun)
Quick check
Which word or phrase fits each gap? (too, too much, too many, or enough)
- The music is ____ loud. I can't hear you.
- Is there ____ coffee for everyone?
- She's ____ experienced to make that mistake.
- There are ____ cars in this city — the traffic is awful.
- He didn't study ____ to pass the exam.
Show answers
- too 2. enough 3. too 4. too many 5. enough
Key takeaways
- Too = more than needed — always a problem. It goes before adjectives and adverbs.
- Too much (uncountable) and too many (countable) go before nouns.
- Enough = the right amount. It goes after adjectives and adverbs, but before nouns.
- Both words naturally extend into a to + verb phrase: too hot to drink, warm enough to swim in.
- Very and too are not interchangeable: very is a neutral intensifier; too signals a problem.