Use than to compare things ("Her car is faster than yours") and then to talk about time or order ("First I eat breakfast, then I brush my teeth"). This guide explains the difference, with examples and a few tricks to tell them apart.
English has many trap words: words that are easy to confuse because they are spelled almost the same and sound alike. Than and then are two prime examples.
In casual speech, the two words sound alike. Words that sound alike but have different meanings are called homophones, a kind of homonym. The difference between homonyms, homophones, and homographs explains these terms in more detail.
Words like these cause problems for many people, because only one letter separates them. Then and than sound almost the same and are spelled almost the same, so they are hard to tell apart. They give headaches to students, writers, and anyone else who writes in English. Here is how to tell them apart.
Then: a word about time
Then is mostly an adverb, and it usually refers to time or to the order of things. For example, you eat something and then brush your teeth. Or you turn off the lights and then go to sleep.
Then can also mean "at that time": "Back then, my mother made us clean our rooms every day." It can even be an adjective, as in "the then president" (the president at that time). And it can mean "in that case": "If you are tired, then go to bed."
Part of the trouble with then is that it has several functions. The best way to recognize it is to remember that it mostly has to do with time.
Examples of then in a sentence:
- I never understood why she said she loved me and then said she hated me.
- The president back then would never have allowed that law to pass.
- The stores in the mall have great deals every now and then.
- First I eat breakfast, then I brush my teeth.
- We all bought some sandwiches, then something to drink.
Than: a word for comparing
Than is a conjunction (and sometimes a preposition) that is used to compare things. You can use it to compare objects, people, qualities, and so on.
Here is a simple test to tell the two words apart. Then can usually be replaced with another word or phrase, such as "next", "after that", "at that time", or "in that case". Than cannot. Take the sentence "Her car is better than yours." There is no word you can put in place of than without changing the sentence.
Now look at this sentence: "So you agree, then, that her car is better than yours?" Here, you can easily replace then: "So you agree, in that case, that her car is better than yours?" The than has to stay.
Examples of than in a sentence:
- It is better to be safe than sorry.
- I took her home rather than let her walk alone.
- No one knows this better than you.
- He has far more money than I do.
A trick to remember
Look at the vowels. Then, with an e, goes with when: it tells you when something happens. Than, with an a, goes with compare: it shows up in comparisons.
Summary
Than comes after comparative words such as better, more, faster, and rather to compare things or to show a choice. Then refers to time and to the order of actions.
For more words that are easy to get wrong, take a look at the 289 words most commonly misspelled in English.