How to Use Than and Then

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Two Methods:Grammar HelpUsing Then and ThanCommunity Q&A

Many times people misuse the words "than" and "then." Whether this confusion happens because the words are pronounced similarly or because people simply don't know the difference between the words, it is important to know in which situations to choose each word. Follow this guide below, and then you'll be using these words better than anyone you know!

Steps

Using Then and Than

1. 1

   Use than as a word indicating comparison.

   When you are talking about a noun (thing, person, place or concept) being more, less, better,

   cooler

   , dumber, etc. in relation to another noun, the word

   than

   is necessary.

   ^[1][2]

   • There are more onions than scallions in your fridge.
   • Scott was sicker than a dog last week.

2. 2

   Use then as a word indicating time.

   When you want to tell about a sequence of events or are giving instructions in a step-by-step order, the word

   then

   is necessary.

   ^[3][4]

3. 3

   Pronounce the words differently.

   Both words contain one gliding vowel, and they are similar.

   ^[5]

   Phonetically speaking, native speakers of English use the schwa (

   ǝ

   , kind of like a soft "eh" sound) because it's more efficient and allows words to be slurred together quickly in daily conversations. Consequently, lots of "a"s and "e"s are not pronounced distinctly.

   • Than is said with the mouth opened widely and the tongue pressed down toward the teeth. The vowel sounds from the back of the mouth and the throat is somewhat constricted.
   • Then is more said with the mouth partially opened. The vowel rises from a relaxed throat and the tongue rests.

4. 4

   Test your usage.

   Ask yourself these questions when you're writing a sentence:

   • If I write the word "next" instead of "then," will the sentence still make sense?
     • "I will go to the store next" makes sense, so here we would say "I will go to the store then."
     • "I like apples better next papayas" makes no sense. So we must be looking for "I like apples better than papayas."
   • If I write the phrase "in comparison to" instead of the word "than," will the sentence still make sense?
     • "It costs more in comparison to a new car" makes sense, so you'd want to say "It costs more than a new car."
     • "You'll never guess what happened to me in comparison to" does not make sense at all. Therefore, you will want to say "You'll never guess what happened to me then!"

5. 5

   Recognize incorrect examples and learn from the mistakes.

   • Wrong: I'm a better speller then you! (comparison: than)
   • Wrong: I feel that astrophysics is less interesting then horticulture. (comparison: than)
   • Wrong: She is going to stop to get snacks, than we'll go to the library together. (sequence: then)
   • Wrong: Our parents used to go out to eat every now and than. (time: then)
   • Right: Learn grammar rules. Then you will be smarter than your average bear.

6. 6

   Practice frequently.

   Pay attention when you write

   essays

   or

   letters

   . Use

   instant messages

   , e-mails and

   text messages

   to practice your good spelling skills (rather than as an opportunity to neglect them). You never know when you'll have to use one of those communication methods for something important!

Community Q&A

Add New Question

• Should I say "she is bigger than me" or "she is bigger then me"?

  wikiHow Contributor

  The first phrase is the accurate one -- than. Than is comparison, while then is sequence, in time. Say the sentence out loud to yourself to see whether or not it sounds as if it makes sense.

• Would I use then or than in this sentence?: "My love for you on this earth will last longer then any rock."

  wikiHow Contributor

  Than is a word used to compare, "I would rather eat this than that." Then, is a transitional word..." Then, we went to reading." In the sentence you've quoted, the usage is not correct. It ought to read: "My love for you on the Earth will last longer than any rock."

• "Should I not store it for more than 3 days?" Is that correct?

• Should I say "you are more than welcome" or "more then welcome"?

  wikiHow Contributor

  "More than" is correct because you're comparing more and less. The other way you are telling the person that first they are more, and then they are welcome (which doesn't make sense). "More" and "less" should always be followed by "than", not "then".

• What is the correct usage in the sentence "Nothing worse than/then having to buy it yourself"?

  wikiHow Contributor

  Use "than," because you're comparing having to buy it yourself vs. not having to buy it yourself.

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Tips

• The simplest mnemonic is that "then" is a time word equivalent to "when," so they are both spelled with an "e."
• Another possible mnemonic aid is is that "then" and "time" both have the letter "e" but not the letter "a," and "than" and "comparison" both have the letter "a," but not the letter "e."
• People tend to misuse then more than than. Than mistakes listed above may look strange or grossly incorrect; however, the then mistakes may seem more acceptable. Pay special attention to then and its uses.

Warnings

• There are instances in which than can be used when time is the general idea of the sentence or phrase. As an example: "Paul was later than Mary." The in comparison to substitution is a good test here to verify that than is correctly used in this sentence.

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In other languages:

Español: usar correctamente "Than" y "Then" en inglés, Português: Usar Than e Then em Inglês, Deutsch: Englisch ist nicht schwer, so setzt man THEN und THAN richtig ein, Italiano: Usare Than e Then in Inglese, Français: utiliser "than" et "then", 中文: 区分than和then, Bahasa Indonesia: Menggunakan "Than" dan "Then", Nederlands: Than en then op de juiste manier gebruiken, Tiếng Việt: Sử dụng Than và Then, ไทย: ใช้คำว่า Than และคำว่า Then, 한국어: Than과 Then을 제대로 사용하는 법, العربية: استخدام كلمتي Than و Then, Čeština: Jak používat THAN a THEN, हिन्दी: Than और Then का प्रयोग करें

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