Commonly Confused Words

Then vs. Than

1 min read

Mixing up then and than is super common — even for native speakers! But they have totally different meanings, and learning when to use each one will make your writing much clearer.

Then

Then is used to talk about time, order, or results. It tells us what happens next, or what happened at a certain time.

We had dinner, then watched a movie.
I’ll call you later, then we can decide.
If you study, then you’ll pass the test. ✅

Use then when you're talking about what happens next, or cause and effect.

Than

Than is used to make comparisons — to show a difference between two things.

She's taller than her brother.
This phone is cheaper than the other one.
I’d rather stay home than go out tonight.

Use than when you're comparing one thing to another.

💡 Tip

“A” in ‘than’ is for ‘compAre’. If you’re not comparing, use then!

Test your knowledge 📝

Question 1 sur 8Score: 0/8

We went to the store, ___ we stopped for coffee.

Discover the app: Shaky English

Join 100,000 people who are improving their English skills on the Shaky English app

Other similar rules

Agreement rules

Word Order with Adverbs of Frequency (always, never, usually)

Adverbs of frequency (like always, never, often, usually, sometimes, rarely) tell us how often something happens. In English, they usually go before the main verb, but there are some important rules d...

Vocabulary

Em Dash vs. En Dash vs. Hyphen

These three marks may look similar, but they each have their own job in writing. Let’s break them down so you know exactly when to use a hyphen, an en dash, or an em dash. Hyphen (-) Use a hyphen to...

Vocabulary

Title Capitalization

Title Case means you capitalize the important words in a title. It’s the style used in book titles, headings, and most English writing where the title needs to look formal. What do we capitalize in t...

Common confusions

I.e. vs. E.g.

Have you seen i.e. and e.g. in writing and wondered what they actually mean? These little abbreviations can make your writing clearer and more precise — if you use the right one! What do i.e. and e.g...

Common confusions

Who's vs. Whose

Let’s quickly clear up the difference between who’s and whose! Who's Who's is a contraction of who is or who has. Who's at the door? → Who is at the door? Who's coming to dinner? → Who is comi...

Common mistakes

Modal Verbs for Advice (should, ought to, had better)

In English, we use modal verbs like should, ought to, and had better to give advice or recommendations. These modals are very similar, but they are used slightly differently depending on the level of...

Common mistakes

Participle Clauses (-ing / -ed / perfect clauses)

Participle clauses help you shorten your sentences and sound more natural. They act like mini-clauses and give extra information about the subject. -ing participle clauses Use an -ing clause when the...

Conjugation

Some vs. Any

Some and any are both used to talk about an unknown quantity of something. They are often used before plural countable nouns or uncountable nouns — but we use them in different types of sentences. Wh...

Commonly Confused Words

Then vs. Than

1 min read

Mixing up then and than is super common — even for native speakers! But they have totally different meanings, and learning when to use each one will make your writing much clearer.

Then

Then is used to talk about time, order, or results. It tells us what happens next, or what happened at a certain time.

We had dinner, then watched a movie.
I’ll call you later, then we can decide.
If you study, then you’ll pass the test. ✅

Use then when you're talking about what happens next, or cause and effect.

Than

Than is used to make comparisons — to show a difference between two things.

She's taller than her brother.
This phone is cheaper than the other one.
I’d rather stay home than go out tonight.

Use than when you're comparing one thing to another.

💡 Tip

“A” in ‘than’ is for ‘compAre’. If you’re not comparing, use then!

Test your knowledge 📝

Question 1 sur 8Score: 0/8

We went to the store, ___ we stopped for coffee.

Discover the app: Shaky English

Join 100,000 people who are improving their English skills on the Shaky English app

Other similar rules

Agreement rules

Word Order with Adverbs of Frequency (always, never, usually)

Vocabulary

Em Dash vs. En Dash vs. Hyphen

Vocabulary

Title Capitalization

Common confusions

I.e. vs. E.g.

Common confusions

Who's vs. Whose

Common mistakes

Modal Verbs for Advice (should, ought to, had better)

Common mistakes

Participle Clauses (-ing / -ed / perfect clauses)

Conjugation