Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

to-do

/tˌudˈu/

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: 6.32 in modern English

Syllables: to--do
IPA: /tˌudˈu/

5

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

3

Syllables

3

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A fuss made over something.

noun

A task that has been noted as one that must be completed, especially on a list.

Example Sentences

"I was embarrassed that they made such a big to-do out of my birthday."
"Just because the city's throwing you this big to-do, don't think you're something special. You've done absolutely nothing to deserve this."
"Last year, Russell Brand caused another to-do. This time he wasn’t playing nasty jokes on Andrew Sachs, or boasting about the millions of people he’d slept with; he wasn’t calling George Bush a “retard”, or giving a Nazi salute at the GQ awards, or turning up to work dressed as Osama bin Laden […] No, this time he simply made a political statement."
"My to-do list has been growing longer every day."
"I have so many to-dos, I don't know where to start."

Etymology

From to + do, formed on analogy with ado. Compare affair.

Inflected Forms

to-dos (plural) todo (alternative)

Synonyms

ado bustle fuss argy-bargy bangarang bobbery brouhaha bunfight bust-up chaos ferment clamour

Homonyms

todo

Rhymes With

to you do who new two too through few true due knew

Questions

How do you pronounce to-do?: The recorded pronunciation is /tˌudˈu/.
What does to-do mean?: A fuss made over something.
Where does to-do come from?: From to + do, formed on analogy with ado. Compare affair.

How to pronounce to-do

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “to-do”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/tˌudˈu/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “to-do”.
Repeat and practice — Say “to-do” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.