"In toto" versus "in total"

Are the phrases "in total" and "in toto" interchangeable, or is "in total" a corruption of "in toto"?


In toto has taken on the more general sense of "taken as a whole" in general English usage. In total means something closer to the original meaning of the Latin version, though there's little doubt in my mind that its use is influenced by the presence of in toto, since we already had the phrase in all to describe a final sum.


They're interchangeable. "In toto" is the Latin for "in total", so more appropriate to the sort of formal context where randomly lapsing into Latin is least likely to result in accusations of being lexiphanic.

Though of course, quidquid Latine dictum sit, altum sonatur.