Confusing Words
📞 CALL vs CALL TO
⛔ I called to my friend yesterday on the phone. (wrong)
⛔ I called to the police (wrong)
Those are common mistakes. We almost never use TO with call.
✅ I called my friend yesterday…
✅ I called the police.
Even on an online dictionary, you will struggle to find “call to.” It is used in fixed expressions:
● A call to arms – a strong command or inducement for action, especially among a particular group of people.
– The actress used the event as a call to arms for women in the film industry to demand equal pay.
● A call to prayer – a signal conveyed to members of the religion indicating that it is time to engage in a scheduled prayer ritual.
● Call to someone – here it means: to beckon. (to do certain actions in an attempt to draw attention to oneself)
So if I call to my friend, I am waving my arm at him saying “come here.” I can’t use “call to” in the traditional sense that I phone someone.