What Does "Then" Mean?
Then is an adverb (and occasionally a conjunction or adjective) with three related meanings: time, sequence, and consequence.
Then meaning "at that time" — referring to a specific past or future time:
- She was a student then. (at that time in the past)
- The company was much smaller back then.
- By then, the situation had already changed.
Then meaning "after that" or "next" — indicating sequence in a narrative or process:
- She opened the file, then reviewed the data.
- First, gather your materials. Then, follow the instructions in order.
- He submitted the application and then waited for a response.
Then meaning "in that case" or "therefore" — indicating a consequence or logical conclusion, often in if-then structures:
- If you agree with the terms, then please sign here.
- If the data is wrong, then the entire analysis needs to be redone.
- Well, if that's how you see it, then we disagree.
What Does "Than" Mean?
Than is a conjunction and sometimes a preposition used in comparisons. It introduces the second element of a comparison — what is being compared against.
- She is taller than her brother. (comparing heights)
- The result was better than expected. (comparing to an expectation)
- This approach takes more time than the previous method.
- He earns more than I do.
- Nothing is more important than accuracy in this field.
Than appears immediately after comparative adjectives and adverbs: faster than, older than, more efficiently than, less expensive than, earlier than, fewer than, greater than.
The Key Difference
The distinction comes down to function: then relates to time or consequence; than introduces a comparison. If your sentence is comparing two things, than is correct. If your sentence is talking about sequence, timing, or a conditional result, then is correct.
| Word | Function | Signals |
|---|---|---|
| then | Adverb / conjunction | Time, sequence, if-then logic |
| than | Conjunction / preposition | Comparisons (better, more, less, fewer, etc.) |
Memory Trick
Than contains the letter a, and so does the word comparison. If you're making a comparison, use than (both have a). Then contains the letter e, and so does the word time and sequence. If you're talking about time or order, use then (shared e).
Common Errors
| Incorrect | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| She is smarter then him. | She is smarter than him. | Comparison requires than. |
| I would rather stay home than go out. ✓ | This one is correct. | Rather than is a fixed comparison phrase. |
| More often then not, he arrives early. | More often than not, he arrives early. | "More often" is a comparison; needs than. |
| First we ate, than we left. | First we ate, then we left. | Sequence of events needs then. |
| If it rains, than we'll cancel. | If it rains, then we'll cancel. | Conditional consequence needs then. |
Tricky Cases
"Other than" vs. "other then" — the correct phrase is always other than, because it introduces a comparison (everything except, compared to):
- No one other than the manager has access.
- There was nothing to eat other than a few crackers.
"Rather than" vs. "rather then" — rather than is a comparative phrase meaning "instead of" or "in preference to." It always uses than:
- She chose to resign rather than accept the reassignment.
- Rather than argue, he simply walked away.
"No sooner... than" — this fixed expression always uses than, even though it describes a time sequence. This is an idiomatic exception to the usual rule:
- No sooner had she sat down than the phone rang.
- No sooner was the deal signed than complications emerged.
You cannot substitute then here — the expression is fixed. A simpler way to remember: no sooner... than is a comparison of timing (the second event happened almost simultaneously with the first).
Then and Than in If-Then Logic
The phrase if... then is a logical construction: if introduces a condition, and then introduces the consequence. The word than never belongs in this structure.
- If the budget is approved, then we can begin hiring.
- If A equals B and B equals C, then A equals C.
In practice, the word then is often omitted in if-then sentences, but it is always understood to be there: If the budget is approved, we can begin hiring.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is "than I" or "than me" correct?
Both are in common use. Than I is the traditional formal construction — it treats than as a conjunction introducing a clause with an implied verb: She is taller than I [am]. Than me treats than as a preposition — common in informal English: She is taller than me. In formal or academic writing, prefer than I/he/she/we/they (subject pronouns). In speech and informal writing, than me/him/her/us/them is standard and widely accepted.
Can "then" and "than" ever be interchangeable?
No. They are different words with different meanings and different grammatical roles. In older English (and in some dialects), the two words were less clearly distinguished, but in modern standard written English they are always separate.
Why do people mix up then and than?
In casual speech, both words are often reduced to a similar unstressed sound. Because the distinction is largely invisible in spoken English, it must be learned and reinforced through reading and writing. Typing fast compounds the problem — the letters e and a are adjacent on most keyboards.