Two is the number that comes after one and before three, represented by the numeral 2. It's the first number you count after starting with one, and it shows up constantly in everyday life: two shoes in a pair, two hands to clap with, two teams in a game, two slices of bread in a sandwich.

Two is the smallest and only even prime number, which means it can only be divided evenly by itself and one. Mathematicians consider two special because it's where counting plural things really begins. One is singular, but two is the first step into “more than one.”

The word appears in countless phrases that show how fundamental pairs are to human thinking. When someone offers you two cents, they're sharing their opinion. If you're of two minds about something, you're torn between two different choices. When friends are two peas in a pod, they're remarkably similar. The phrase it takes two reminds us that some things require cooperation.

Two is often used to represent balance and partnership: two sides to every story, two wings on a bird, two parents in many families. It can also be a helpful way to think about working in pairs, sharing fairly between two people, or seeing both sides of an argument.