"Enough" = sufficient (reaches the necessary level); "too" = excessive (exceeds what is acceptable).
Sufficient, the necessary amount. Goes AFTER the adjective or adverb it modifies.
The coffee is warm enough to drink now.
Is there enough food for everyone at the party?
She is old enough to make her own decisions.
Excessively, too much. Goes BEFORE the adjective or adverb it modifies.
The coffee is too hot to drink. I need to wait.
It is too late to call her now. She is probably asleep.
The bag was too heavy for her to carry up the stairs alone.
Common mistake
Word order is the most common error: "the coffee is enough warm" is incorrect — "enough" always goes AFTER the adjective: "warm enough". "Too" always goes BEFORE: "too warm". Another error: confusing meaning — "the movie is too long" (problem: it runs too long) vs "the movie is long enough" (no problem: it has sufficient length). The implied result is opposite.
Trick to remember it
Too = problem (I cannot do something due to excess). Enough = no problem (I can do something because the minimum level is met). Structure: "too + adjective + to + verb" (too cold to swim) vs "adjective + enough + to + verb" (warm enough to swim). You can always check the order by remembering that "enough" runs behind the adjective.
Quick rule
Too + adjective (before): there is a problem due to excess. Adjective + enough (after): no problem, the amount is sufficient.
Did you know?
"Enough" has one of the most unpredictable spellings in English — it is pronounced "i-NUF" but written with "gh" which in modern English is normally silent or sounds like /f/. In Old English it was spelled "genog" and pronounced with a voiced velar fricative (similar to the Spanish "g" in "agua"). Phonetic evolution simplified the sound but its spelling remained frozen in time.
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
The suitcase was _____ heavy to lift without help.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
Are you _____ ready? The taxi will be here in two minutes.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Too + adjective (before): there is a problem due to excess. Adjective + enough (after): no problem, the amount is sufficient.
Word order is the most common error: "the coffee is enough warm" is incorrect — "enough" always goes AFTER the adjective: "warm enough". "Too" always goes BEFORE: "too warm". Another error: confusing meaning — "the movie is too long" (problem: it runs too long) vs "the movie is long enough" (no problem: it has sufficient length). The implied result is opposite.
Too = problem (I cannot do something due to excess). Enough = no problem (I can do something because the minimum level is met). Structure: "too + adjective + to + verb" (too cold to swim) vs "adjective + enough + to + verb" (warm enough to swim). You can always check the order by remembering that "enough" runs behind the adjective.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy