then vs than
Then vs Than: One Compares, One Comes Next
One letter apart, pronounced nearly the same, and autocorrect will never flag the wrong one. The rule is genuinely one line: than compares things, then puts things in order. "Better than ever", "first this, then that". Everything else is just knowing which job your sentence is doing.
The rule
Than shows up when two things are being compared - bigger than, rather than, more than. Then is about time and sequence - what happens next, what follows. Memory hook: thAn compares (like "compAre"), thEn is about whEn.
| Sentence | Which one | Why |
|---|---|---|
| "pizza is better ___ tacos" | than | comparison |
| "we ate, ___ we left" | then | sequence - what happened next |
| "easier said ___ done" | than | comparison |
| "if you're late, ___ we start without you" | then | consequence - if/then |
| "I'd rather walk ___ wait" | than | comparison - rather than |
The test that never fails
Ask: are two things being measured against each other? If yes - than, always. If the word means "next", "at that time", or "in that case" - then, always. There is no overlap and no exception; this pair is actually one of English's fairest rules. The errors come purely from typing speed and similar sounds, not from genuine ambiguity.
The mistakes everyone sends
"Better then ever", "more then enough", "rather then" - the wrong direction is almost always then where than belongs, because "then" is the more common word and fingers autocomplete it. Flip side worth knowing: "than" never starts a consequence. "If it rains, than we cancel" is always wrong.
Why it slips through everything
Both are real words, so spelling tools pass them. Reading tools mostly can't catch it either - the sentence stays parseable with the wrong one, it just means nonsense. Only a checker that understands the sentence's intent catches "better then ever". That's what Checker's sentence-level Standard Check is for - it reads the comparison and fixes the word, one tap, any app.
Frequently asked questions
Is it "more than" or "more then"?
More than - it's a comparison. "More then" is always wrong.
Is it "rather than" or "rather then"?
Rather than, always. "Rather" sets up a comparison between options.
Can a sentence use both then and than?
Sure: "back then, I was faster than you." Then handles the time, than handles the comparison.
Why doesn't my phone catch "better then ever"?
Both words are spelled correctly, and the sentence still parses. Only sentence-level grammar checking catches the wrong choice.