Difference Between Then and Than

The words “then” and “than” are confused because of their similar spellings and pronunciation. However, they have different meanings and uses in sentences.

Meaning of Then –

“Then” is an adverb that refers to a particular time in the past or future, or to a sequence of events. It can also be used to indicate a consequence or result.

Usage of Then –

• Used to refer to a sequence of events.
• Used to indicate a consequence or result.
• Used to mean “therefore” or “in that case”.
• Used to indicate a time in the past

Examples of Then –

• If it rains, then we will stay inside.
• She won the race, and then she celebrated with her team.
• He was hungry, and then he ate a sandwich.
• She was busy with work back then.
• We missed the bus, and then we had to walk home.
• He was an excellent student back then.
• I took a shower, then got dressed.

Meaning of Than –

“Than” is a conjunction used to compare two things or to indicate a preference. It is commonly used in comparative phrases like “more than” or “less than”.

Usage of Than –

• Used to compare two things or indicate a preference.
• Used to mean “except” in phrases like “other than” or “rather than”.
• Used to indicate a difference in quantity
• Used to indicate a difference in degree
• Used to indicate a difference in quality

Examples of Than –

• She is taller than her sister.
• He has more money than I do.
• Other than her, everyone showed up on time.
• I like chocolate more than vanilla.
• I prefer tea than coffee.
• He is stronger than his brother.
• She is more talented than her classmates.

Differences between Then and Than –

Then	Than
Adverb that refers to a specific point in time or a sequence of events	Conjunction used to introduce the second element of a comparison
Used to indicate a consequence or result	Used to show a difference or distinction between things
Can be used to indicate a future event or a condition	Used exclusively to compare two things or ideas
Can be used as a noun or adjective	Not used as a noun or adjective
Can be used to indicate a logical consequence or outcome	Used only to compare two things of the same type
Used in conditional statements	Used in comparative statements
Commonly used in time expressions	Commonly used to express a preference
Indicates a time or sequence of events	Indicates a comparison between two things
Used to introduce a subsequent action or event	Used to join two clauses or phrases that express a comparison
Can be used to refer to a condition or circumstance that existed at a particular time in the past	Used to express a difference or contrast between two things
Used with verbs such as “was,” “were,” “had,” and “have”	Used with adjectives and adverbs
Contains the letter “e”	Contains the letters “a” and “n”
Can be used in a variety of contexts, including narrative and description	Used primarily in comparisons and preferences

Conclusion –

In summary, then and than are two words that are confused. Then is used to indicate a time or sequence, consequence, or result. Than is used to compare two things and indicate a difference in quantity, degree, or quality.