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Blog / Then vs. Than: Real Mistakes and How to Fix Them
Then vs. Than: Real Mistakes and How to Fix Them
"Then" and "than" differ by a single letter, and in rapid speech they sound almost identical. That is why the confusion is so common in writing. The examples below are real sentences that people sent to Proofread Bot, together with several related comparison errors that appeared alongside them.
The corrections are written in formal, academic English, so contractions are spelled out in full. Where a contracted or colloquial form is common in everyday writing, it is shown underneath as the informal version.
The short version
- Than is used in comparisons: bigger than, more than, rather than. Compare contains an a, and so does than.
- Then refers to time or sequence: first this, then that; back then; if this, then that. When contains an e, and so does then.
1. "Then" in a comparison
This is the more frequent direction of the error. Whenever a sentence contains more, less, better, worse, or an adjective ending in -er, the word that follows is almost always than.
✓ I ate more pickles than you did.
Informal: I ate more pickles than you.
✓ She is better at mathematics than he is.
Informal: She's better at maths than him.
✓ There were more sandwiches than plates.
"I ate more pickles then you" actually says something other than what was intended. Read literally, it means "I ate more pickles, and after that, I ate you."
2. "Than" where "next" or "after that" is meant
✓ We will go to the store first, then to the bakery.
Informal: We'll go to the store first, then the bakery.
✓ I went home, then to my friend's house.
✓ I went to the park and then to the playground.
Test: replace the word with "next" or "after that." "We will go to the store first, and after that to the bakery" makes sense, so the correct word is then.
3. "That" typed instead of "than"
This is not strictly a then/than confusion, but it appeared often enough in our collection to deserve its own section. It is a typing slip, and it is easy to overlook because "that" is such a common word.
✓ You are a braver person than I am.
Informal: You're a braver person than me.
✓ Playing tag is more enjoyable than hide and seek.
Informal: Playing tag is more fun than hide and seek.
4. "Funner than" and other non-standard comparatives
✓ Tennis is more enjoyable than basketball.
Informal: I think tennis is more fun than basketball.
This sentence has two problems: then should be than, and "funner" is not standard English. It is common in speech, but in writing use "more fun," or in academic prose a more precise adjective such as "more enjoyable." Similarly, avoid double comparatives such as "more better" or "more faster": use one way of comparing, not both. Note also that "I think" is usually unnecessary in academic writing, since the reader already knows that the statement is your view.
5. A comparison with nothing to compare to
Sometimes the problem is not the wrong word but a missing one. A comparison needs two sides.
✓ Learning Chinese is more difficult than learning Spanish.
✓ Our car model is faster, better, and stronger than the leading competitor.
Advertising copy favors the one-sided comparison because it sounds impressive without committing to anything. In an essay or a report, the reader will immediately ask "than what?"
6. "Different than" or "different from"?
✓ It was completely different from what I had imagined.
"Different than" is common in American English and is not strictly wrong, but "different from" is accepted in every variety of English and is the safer choice in academic writing. The original sentence also combines "how" and "to be like," which express the same idea twice.
7. "Than me" or "than I"?
"She is better at mathematics than me" is standard in everyday English. In academic writing, the safest option is to complete the clause: "She is better at mathematics than I am." This avoids both the informal "than me" and the stiff-sounding "than I."
The quick check
- Are two things being compared? Use than.
- Could you say "next," "after that," or "at that time"? Use then.
Catch the errors you cannot see
Because the two words differ by a single vowel, the eye passes over a wrong one easily, especially in your own writing. Paste your text into Proofread Bot and it will flag then/than confusions, together with the other one-letter slips that an ordinary spell checker misses and any phrasing that is too informal for academic work.