Meaning & use
follow to a tee
Last updated
Meaning
phraseidiom
To follow instructions or rules exactly and completely.
Grammar: Used with an object: follow instructions to a tee. Often in the pattern follow something to a tee.
Patterns
- follow something to a tee
- follow instructions to a tee
- follow the recipe to a tee
If you follow the recipe to a tee, the cake will turn out perfect.
He followed the safety rules to a tee and had no accidents.
She followed the coach's advice to a tee and improved quickly.
Common combinations
- follow instructions to a tee
- The new employee followed instructions to a tee.
- follow the rules to a tee
- You must follow the rules to a tee in this exam.
- follow something to a tee
- He followed the plan to a tee, and it worked.
Synonyms and how they differ
- to the letter
- To the letter is more formal and often used for laws or orders; follow to a tee is slightly more informal.
- exactly
- Exactly is an adverb meaning precisely, but it does not carry the idea of following instructions completely.
Opposites
Commonly confused: follow to a tee or to a T?
follow to a tee vs to a T
To a T is a variant spelling of the same idiom, meaning exactly. Both are acceptable, but 'to a tee' is more common in writing.
Practice
Complete the sentence: She followed the recipe ______, so the dish was delicious.
Choose one answer.
The correct idiom is 'follow to a tee', meaning exactly. 'To a tea' is a common misspelling, and 'to the tee' is not standard.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “follow to a tee”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.