Use To or Used To | Difference & Example Sentences
Used to and use to are related phrases that can have the same meaning but are used differently.
- Used to is a verb that indicates a past habit, action, or state. It can also be used as an adjective meaning ‘accustomed to’.
- Use to also indicates a past habit, action, or state, but it’s only used in combination with ‘did’, ‘did not’, or ‘didn’t’.
| Examples: ‘Used to’ in a sentence | Examples: ‘Use to’ in a sentence |
|---|---|
| Sophie lives near the train tracks, so she’s used to a lot of noise. | Did you use to be a musician? |
| There used to be a library in the city, but it closed down. | Zack didn’t use to care about politics. |
‘Used to’ as an adjective
Used to can be used as an adjective to modify a noun. In this context, it’s always used along with a version of the helping verb ‘be’ (e.g., ‘I am’, ‘she is’, ‘they are’).
As a doctor, Nick is used to working long hours.
In the second example above, ‘working’ is a gerund (i.e., a verb in its present participle form that functions as a noun).
‘Used to’ as a verb
Used to is a verb used to indicate a past habit, action, or fact that is no longer the case. Used to functions similarly to a modal verb, meaning that it modifies the main verb of a clause.
In this context, ‘used’ is combined with the preposition ‘to’ and the infinitive of a verb (e.g., ‘walk’, ‘sing’, ‘think’).
Maddison used to take the bus to work but now she drives.
‘Use to’ is a verb
Use to is a version of used to that’s only used in combination with ‘did’, ‘didn’t’, or ‘did not’ (this occurs in questions, in negative statements, and for emphasis).
Alicia didn’t use to read much, but now she reads one book each week.
I’m not much of an athlete, but I did use to cycle quite regularly.
‘I use to’ or ‘I used to’
I used to can be used to refer to a habit you had in the past but no longer have. ‘I use to’ is incorrect.
I used to drink a lot of coffee, but it had a negative effect on my sleep.
‘Get used to it’
Get used to it is an expression meaning ‘become accustomed to it’. In this context, ‘it’ is replacing a noun that is already known. ‘Get use to it’ is never correct.
I typically don’t wake up this early, but I’ll get used to it after a week or so.
Worksheet: Used to or use to
Test your knowledge of the difference between ‘used to’ and ‘use to’ with the worksheet below. Fill in either ‘used to’ or ‘use to’ in each sentence.
- Did you _______ work on a farm?
- I recently moved to Arizona, and I’m not _______ the warm weather yet.
- Chelsea _______ sing in a choir on Monday evenings.
- You didn’t _______ be so moody.
- I _______ struggle with my exercise regime, but I got _______ it.
- Did you use to work on a farm?
- Here, ‘use to’ is the correct form, because it’s used in combination with ‘did’ to form a question.
- I recently moved to Arizona, and I’m not used to the warm weather yet.
- ‘Used to’ is an adjective meaning ‘accustomed to’.
- Chelsea used to sing in a choir on Monday evenings.
- Here, ‘used to’ is used as a verb to indicate a past habit, action, or fact.
- You didn’t use to be so moody.
- Here, the form ‘use to’ is correct, because it’s preceded by ‘didn’t’.
- I used to struggle with my exercise regime, but I got used to it.
- In the first instance, the verb ‘used to’ referring to a past action is correct. In the second instance, ‘got used to’ meaning ‘became accustomed to’ is correct.
Other interesting language articles
If you want to know more about commonly confused words, definitions, and differences between US and UK spellings, make sure to check out some of our other language articles with explanations, examples, and quizzes.
Confused words
Definitions
US vs. UK spellings
Frequently asked questions about used to vs use to
- Is it used to be or use to be?
-
Use to and used to are commonly confused words. In the case of ‘used to be’, the latter (with ‘d’) is correct, since you’re describing an action or state in the past.
- I used to be the new coworker.
- There used to be 4 cookies left.
- We used to walk to school every day.
- Is it use to do or used to do?
-
Use to and used to are commonly confused words. In the case of ‘used to do’, the latter (with ‘d’) is correct, since you’re describing an action or state in the past.
- I used to do laundry once a week.
- They used to do each other’s hair.
- We used to do the dishes every day.
- Is it use to have or used to have?
-
Use to and used to are commonly confused words. In the case of “used to have”, the latter (with “d”) is correct, since you’re describing an action or state in the past.
- I used to have a girlfriend.
- We used to have a car.
- We used to have classes every day.
Cite this Scribbr article
If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.
Ryan, E. (2023, February 15). Use To or Used To | Difference & Example Sentences. Scribbr. Retrieved 24 November 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/frequently-confused-words/used-to-or-use-to/
