Then vs Than: Meaning, Rules and Examples

Use than when you're comparing things: She's taller than her brother. Use then when you're talking about time or sequence: We had dinner, then went to the cinema.

If there's a comparison in the sentence (more, less, better, rather, other), you need than. If you could swap in "next," "after that," "at that time" or "in that case," you need then. The rest of this guide shows you how to spot each one fast, including the handful of phrases where people slip most.

Quick answer: Than = comparison (better than, more than, rather than). Then = time, order or consequence (back then, and then, if… then). Test: if you can replace it with "next" or "at that time," use then.

On this page

1. Two Words, Two Jobs
2. Pronunciation
3. Where the Words Came From
4. Summary Table
5. Fixed Phrases Worth Memorizing
6. Example sentences
7. The Grammar Corners
8. US vs UK vs Australia
9. Common mistakes
10. A Quick Proofreading Routine
11. Memory Tricks
12. Practice quiz
13. Your Takeaway

Two Words, Two Jobs

Than: the comparison word

Than is a conjunction (and sometimes treated as a preposition) that introduces the second half of a comparison. It almost always follows:

• a comparative adjective or adverb: bigger than, faster than, more expensive than, less often than
• other, rather, else: other than you, rather than wait, anyone else than him (rare)
• different (in British and Australian usage especially): different than (more on this below)
• sooner, more, less in set expressions: no sooner… than, more than enough, less than ideal

The job of than is always the same: it points to the thing being measured against.

Then: the time and sequence word

Then is mostly an adverb. It has three main meanings:

1. At that time: I lived in Perth then. / Back then, phones had cords.
2. Next, after that: Mix the flour, then add the eggs.
3. In that case, therefore: If the trains are cancelled, then we'll drive.

It can also act as an adjective meaning "at that time" before a noun: the then prime minister, the then manager of the club. That construction is especially common in British and Australian news writing.

Pronunciation

Said carefully, the two words differ by one vowel:

• than: THAN (rhymes with can)
• then: THEN (rhymes with pen)

In normal, unstressed speech, though, than almost always reduces to a weak "thn" sound, and then often does too. In many American, British and Australian accents, "bigger than" and "bigger then" come out sounding identical. That's why the spelling error is so common: your ear can't help you. Your eyes and the meaning have to do the work.

Where the Words Came From

Then and than share an origin. In Old English and well into the Early Modern period, the forms were used interchangeably for both meanings; you'll find then used for comparisons in texts from Shakespeare's era. The two spellings gradually specialized, with than taking over comparison and then keeping time and sequence. By around 1700, the modern split was settled.

So the confusion isn't random. These really were once the same word, and the spoken forms never fully separated.

Summary Table

Fixed Phrases Worth Memorizing

Many errors happen inside set phrases, where your fingers type the wrong word on autopilot. Here are the common ones.

Always than

• rather than: Let's talk on the phone rather than email.
• other than: Other than the weather, the trip was perfect.
• more than / less than: It cost more than I expected.
• no sooner… than: No sooner had she arrived than the phone rang.
• better late than never
• easier said than done
• more often than not

Always then

• and then: We walked to the beach and then got fish and chips.
• back then: Back then, nobody had heard of the internet.
• since then: I've lived in Manchester since then.
• until then: See you Friday. Until then, enjoy the break.
• just then: Just then, the lights went out.
• now and then / every now and then
• but then again: It's expensive, but then again, it'll last for years.
• if… then: If the price drops, then we'll buy.

Example sentences

Everyday

1. My sister is two years older than me.
2. We'll grab lunch, then head to the park.
3. I'd rather stay in than go out in this rain.
4. Back then, a pie at the footy cost a couple of dollars.
5. This flat is much quieter than our last one in Leeds.
6. Finish your homework, then you can play.

Workplace and email

7. The new process is faster than the old one by about two days.
8. Please review the draft, then send it to Jordan for approval.
9. We received more applications than we expected.
10. If the client signs today, then we can start on Monday.
11. I'll be offline until 3 p.m. Until then, contact Aisha with any urgent questions.
12. Other than the date, the contract looks fine to me.

Academic

13. Group B scored significantly higher than Group A.
14. The samples were dried and then weighed.
15. The effect was smaller than previous studies had suggested.
16. If x is greater than zero, then the function is increasing.
17. The then-dominant theory was later abandoned.

News-style

18. Unemployment in Ohio fell to its lowest level in more than a decade.
19. The then health minister announced the policy in 2019.
20. Rainfall in Adelaide was lower than average for the third year running.
21. Police cordoned off the street, then evacuated nearby homes.
22. Turnout was higher than in the last local election.

Both in one sentence

23. It was cheaper then than it is now.
24. If she's quicker than you, then let her lead.
25. We spent less than an hour there, then drove on to Byron Bay.

Sentence 23 is a classic: then means "at that time," and than compares it with now.

The Grammar Corners

"Than I" or "than me"?

Traditional grammar treats than as a conjunction, so the pronoun after it should match what would appear in a full clause: She's taller than I (am). Modern usage, in all three countries, overwhelmingly accepts than me, treating than as a preposition: She's taller than me.

Both are acceptable, but be aware that the choice can change meaning in some sentences:

• I like Sam more than she. = more than she likes Sam.
• I like Sam more than her. = more than I like her.

When there's any chance of ambiguity, add the verb: more than she does. For more on this kind of pronoun choice, see who vs whom, which follows similar subject-versus-object logic.

"Different than," "different from," "different to"

This is where regional preferences really show up:

• different from is accepted everywhere and is the safest choice in formal writing.
• different than is common in American English, especially before a clause: The city is different than it was ten years ago. Some American editors still prefer from.
• different to is common in British and Australian English, but rare in American English.

None of these involves then. "Different then" is always a misspelling.

Comma before "then"

When then joins two actions in a list-like sequence, many writers use "and then" or a comma: We ate, then we left. Strictly speaking, then is an adverb, not a conjunction, so "We ate, then we left" is a comma splice according to the strictest rules. In practice, it's widely accepted in informal and business writing. In formal prose, "We ate, and then we left" or "We ate; then we left" is safer.

"Then" with prepositions

Then often follows a preposition, where it works almost like a noun meaning "that time": by then, from then on, before then, till then, since then. By then, the shops had closed. / From then on, she cycled to work. Because a preposition comes first, you can be sure there's no comparison, so the word is always then.

"More than" with numbers

More than and less than (or fewer than) are the standard ways to express amounts: more than 300 people, less than a kilometer away. Some older American newsroom guides once insisted on more than rather than over for numbers, but that preference was dropped from major US styles years ago. Either way, it's than, never then.

When both words could fit

Very occasionally, a sentence makes sense with either word, but means something different:

• She'd rather go to the beach than the pool. (preference)
• She'd go to the beach, then the pool. (sequence: both, in that order)

Reading the sentence aloud with "next" in place of the word usually tells you which meaning you intended.

US vs UK vs Australia

The spelling and core meanings of then and than are identical in all three countries. The error "more then" is marked wrong by every major dictionary and style guide in the US, UK and Australia.

The differences are small and are about surrounding words, not these two:

• United States: "different than" is common and widely accepted; "than me" is standard in speech and most writing.
• United Kingdom: "different to" and "different from" dominate; "the then prime minister" appears often in journalism.
• Australia: follows British patterns closely, with "different to" common and "the then premier" a frequent news phrase, since the state leaders are premiers.

Common mistakes

❌ She's a better cook then me. ✅ She's a better cook than me.

❌ I'd rather walk then wait for the bus. ✅ I'd rather walk than wait for the bus.

❌ First we went to the bank, than the post office. ✅ First we went to the bank, then the post office.

❌ If you finish early, than you can leave. ✅ If you finish early, then you can leave.

❌ There were less people then last year. ✅ There were fewer people than last year.

That last one hides two errors. Countable nouns like people traditionally take fewer; our guide to less vs fewer covers when that rule bends.

A Quick Proofreading Routine

If you write a lot of emails or reports, a two-minute routine catches nearly every slip:

1. Use your editor's find function to search for " then " and " than ".
2. For each then, check the word before it. If it's more, less, rather, other, or ends in -er, change it to than.
3. For each than, try replacing it with "next" or "at that time." If that works, change it to then.
4. Read any sentence with both words aloud slowly, stressing each one.

Spell-checkers rarely flag these errors, because both words are spelled correctly. Grammar tools catch some of them, but they miss plenty, especially in long sentences.

Memory Tricks

• thAn compares, like A to B. The a in than reminds you of "compAre."
• thEn is about timE. The e in then matches the e in "time," "next" and "sequence."
• If you prefer a picture, think of then as a step on a staircase (one step, then the next) and than as a pair of scales (this side versus that side).

Practice quiz

Fill each blank with then or than.

1. The film was much longer ____ I expected.
2. Preheat the oven, ____ grease the tin.
3. I'd rather pay now ____ worry about it later.
4. We lived in Glasgow ____, before moving to Cardiff.
5. If the meeting runs late, ____ we'll order food.
6. Fewer ____ half the members voted.

Answers

1. than. Comparison with longer.
2. then. Sequence; "next" fits.
3. than. Part of the fixed phrase rather than.
4. then. "At that time."
5. then. If… then expresses consequence.
6. than. Comparison with fewer.

Your Takeaway

When you finish a draft, search for every then and than and ask one question: is something being compared? If yes, it's than. If the word marks a step, a moment or a consequence, it's then. Pay special attention to rather, other and every word ending in -er, because that's where most slips hide. If you'd like to tighten up other common small-word errors, try its vs it's next.