Grammar Common Spelling Mistakes 2022-09-27 00:00

To and Fro vs To and From: Which is Correct?

to and fro vs to and from

The words fro and from are often confused because they have a similar spelling. In this article, we explain the difference between them.

From means with the source or provenance of or at when used as a preposition.

Fro means from; away; back or backward. In modern English, it is used only in the set phrase ("to and fro") when used as an adverb.

A good way to remember the difference is The letter is froM My Mom (From has an M).

Out of the two words, 'from' is the most common. It appears about 958 times more frequently than 'fro'.

Contents:
  1. The Difference Between From vs Fro

The Difference Between From vs Fro

From and fro are often confused, usually because it's easy to leave the letter M off of from. Here are the differences.

From is a preposition that refers to a point of origin, whether it's a location or a time.

Fro is an antiquated word that means from or away. We don't use this word in Modern English, unless we are saying the phrase to and fro. This means back and forth. This is the only time that we use fro in Modern English.

Is the phrase 'darting to and fro' or 'darting to and from'?

The correct expression is 'darting to and fro'. These phrases are often confused because they look similar.

What's the right phrase 'from time to time' or 'fro time to time'?

The correct expression is 'from time to time'. These phrases are often confused because of their similar spelling.

Is the expression 'from the United States' or 'fro the United States'?

The correct phrase is 'from the United States'. These phrases are often confused because they have a similar spelling.

Should I use 'from the fact that' or 'fro the fact that'?

You should use 'from the fact that'. These phrases are often confused because they have a similar spelling.

Is the correct phrase 'from the point of' or 'fro the point of'?

The right expression is 'from the point of'. These phrases are often confused because of their similar spelling.

Is the correct expression 'from side to side' or 'fro side to side'?

The correct phrase is 'from side to side'. These phrases are often confused because they have a similar spelling.

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The definitions in this article were adapted from Wiktionary.


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