“Then” and “Than” Are DIFFERENT Words: Here’s How To Use Each One

Then and than are just one letter away from being the exact same word, but that one tiny letter makes a world of difference! Despite the words’ similarity in spelling, they have completely different definitions and are absolutely NOT interchangeable.

What’s the Difference?

Then is an adverb that means “at that time,” “soon after that,” or “next in order of time.” When you’re talking about a sequence of events, you need then.

Ebbitt & Ebbitt put it this way: “Then is an adverb of time frequently used as a connective (conjunctive adverb).”

Let’s say someone asked you about your trip to New York City. When you listed out some of the things you did, you’d use then to indicate what happened next:

We had pizza for lunch, and then we went to a matinée Broadway show.

You would also use then to show what comes next in a series of instructions:

Drive down Maple Street until you see the yellow house, then turn left.

Than is a conjunction that means “in comparison with.” Ebbitt & Ebbitt define it as “a conjunction in a clause of comparison.”

Whenever you’re comparing something to another thing, you’ll use than.

The book was so much better than the movie. (comparing the book to the movie)

He’s much taller than I remember. (comparing his actual height to what I remember)

To sum up…

A few centuries ago, then was sometimes used as a variant spelling of than, as in this text from 1578: “There are fewe Universities that have lesse faultes then Oxford.” Per the Merriam-Webster Dictionary of English Usage, “This spelling is no longer acceptable.” You could perhaps have gotten away with mixing up then and than in the 1500s, but it’s not OK to do so now.

Should “Then” Be Preceded by a Comma or Semicolon?

Then is sometimes viewed as shorthand for and then when it’s used between independent clauses, like this:

George returned home from work, then he went out again to have dinner with a friend.

In these cases, it’s OK to use either a comma or a semicolon before then:

George returned home from work; then he went out again to have dinner with a friend.

If you want to be strictly correct, go with the semicolon. However, if you’re using a semicolon, be sure that what comes after then is truly an independent clause (that is—it could stand on its own as a complete sentence).

George returned home from work; then went out again to have dinner with a friend.

This is incorrect because the second part of the sentence is not an independent clause. If you tried to separate it as its own sentence, it would be missing a subject: “Then went out again to have dinner with a friend.” Without the subject he, it’s not an independent clause, and therefore we cannot use a semicolon.

George returned home from work, then went out again to have dinner with a friend.

Learn about independent vs. dependent clauses here!

If you use the full and then rather than the shorthand then, you must use a comma (not a semicolon):

George returned home from work, and then he went out again to have dinner with a friend.

Using a semicolon before and would be incorrect:

George returned home from work; and then he went out again to have dinner with a friend.

Check out 4 common comma MISTAKES here!

“She’s Taller Than I” or “She’s Taller Than Me“?

I is a nominative (or subjective) pronoun, and me is an objective pronoun. So if the pronoun is functioning as a subject in the sentence, you need I, and if it’s functioning as an object, you need me.

For the specific example of “she’s taller than I” vs. “she’s taller than me,” you can actually use either one. More formal writing will require you to use the nominative pronoun (“she’s taller than I”), but there are plenty of good writers out there who prefer the objective me in that situation.

Sometimes the nominative and objective pronouns give a sentence different meanings. Take, for example, this sentence:

My dog likes my cat more than I.

My dog likes my cat more than me.

Both pronouns could be correct—it just depends on what you’re trying to say.

The nominative pronoun I implies that there’s a verb after it: “My dog likes my cat more than I [do].”

The objective pronoun me implies that there is a subject and verb before it: “My dog likes my cat more than [she likes] me.”

So those two sentences have different meanings: The first means that, although I like my cat, the dog likes her even more; the second means that, given the choice, my dog would pick the cat over me any day of the week.

The pronoun that you use (nominative or objective) will depend on what meaning you wish to convey. Just be sure you don’t use a nominative when an objective pronoun is required:

The teacher gave my teammates better grades than I.

With the nominative pronoun I, you’re saying, “The teacher gave my teammates better grades than I [did].” We can probably assume that you’re not the one grading your work (that’s what teachers are for), so you actually need the objective pronoun me.

The teacher gave my teammates better grades than me.

This sentence is saying, “The teacher gave my teammates better grades than [she gave] me.” Looks good!

Learn more about “I” vs. “me” (nominative and objective pronouns) here!

If you have any questions about than vs. then, drop them in the comments and I’ll do my best to find you an answer!

Sources:

• “America’s Most Trusted Dictionary.” Merriam-Webster. Accessed August 7, 2024. https://www.merriam-webster.com/.
• The Chicago Manual of Style. 17th ed. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press, 2017.
• Ebbitt, D. R., and W. R. Ebbitt. Index to English. 8th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1990.
• Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage. 14th ed. Taunton, MA: QuadGraphics, 2016.