🤔 Grammar · Commonly Confused Words
Then vs Than
One letter apart, two completely different jobs — time versus comparison, sorted for good.
Grammar › Commonly Confused Words › Then vs Than
The rule in one sentenceUse then for time and sequence — what happens next (watch Total Recall, then Starship Troopers) — and than only for comparisons (bigger than, better than, more than). They are never interchangeable, however similar they sound.
What’s the difference?
Then is an adverb of time. It tells you what came next, what came before, or what follows logically: “First came Unbreakable, then came Split years later.” It also drives conditional sentences: “if… then…”
Than is a conjunction with exactly one job: introducing a comparison. It always sits next to a comparative form — bigger, better, worse, more, less — or a word like rather, other, or prefer: “Minority Report scored higher with critics than most science-fiction films on release.” Than never has anything to do with time.
🎬 Compare: “The Theory of Everything came out, then The Imitation Game followed months later” (sequence — then) vs. “The Imitation Game is set earlier in history than The Theory of Everything” (comparison — than).
Same sound, opposite jobs — one is about order in time, the other is about measuring two things against each other.
Because the words are pronounced almost identically in fast speech, the safest habit is to check what job the sentence needs. Is it a step in a timeline, a result, or a condition? Use then. Is it measuring one thing against another — bigger, smaller, more, less, preferred? Use than.
How to build it
Then — time & sequence
Volcano (1997) reached cinemas in the spring, then Runaway Jury followed a few years later.
Watch Mad Max, then Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, then Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome.
The Fifth Element premiered to mixed reviews — then came a passionate cult following.
Than — comparison
The Village runs longer than Signs, though both are M. Night Shyamalan thrillers.
Old unsettled more critics than Knock at the Cabin did on release.
Nothing scared audiences more than Poltergeist did on release.
When to use which
Use then when…
- Listing events in order: “We saw The Theory of Everything, then The Imitation Game, then The Help.”
- Meaning “at that time”: “Back then, Pixar hadn’t made a single sequel.”
- Building a condition: “If Atonement wins critical acclaim, then more literary adaptations tend to follow.”
Use than when…
- After a comparative adjective: “Would you rather watch Elysium than Chappie?”
- After more/less/fewer: “No film unsettled audiences more than War of the Worlds did in 2005.”
- After rather, other, prefer: “There’s no actor other than Haley Joel Osment who could have played a childlike robot as convincingly as he did in A.I. Artificial Intelligence.”
Signal words
These words nearly always travel with one or the other — learn them and the choice becomes automatic.
Then words (time)
Than words (comparison)
Visual guide
Teacher Teddy’s illustrated guide to this rule is being drawn — the full swipe-through infographic will appear here soon.
Common mistakes
❌ Glass made more money then Old.
✅ Glass made more money than Old.
This is a comparison of two box-office totals — comparisons need than, not then.
❌ We watched Signs, than Split.
✅ We watched Signs, then Split.
This is a sequence of events — sequences need then, not than.
❌ Twister (1996) is more intense then most disaster films of its era, fans argue.
✅ Twister (1996) is more intense than most disaster films of its era, fans argue.
The comparative form “more intense” always pairs with than.
Exceptions & tricky cases
1. “Rather than” always takes than. Even though it doesn’t look like a typical comparative, rather than compares two options: “Alex Garland chose subtle practical effects rather than heavy CGI for Annihilation.”
2. “No sooner… than” is a comparison, not a time word. It looks like it should take then because it involves timing, but the structure is actually comparative: “No sooner had the Knock at the Cabin trailer gone online than fans began dissecting every frame.”
3. “Then again” is an idiom, not a step in a sequence. It means “but consider this / on the other hand”: “War of the Worlds runs under two and a half hours — then again, so does Signs.”
4. “Different than” vs “different from”. American English often uses different than, while British English usually prefers different from — but either way, it’s than that’s involved, never then: “A.I. Artificial Intelligence feels different from Minority Report” (UK) or “different than Minority Report” (US).
Practice: choose the right word
Eight quick questions. Pick the answer you’d actually write — you get the explanation either way.
1. Glass earned more money ___ Old on opening weekend.
Comparing two box-office totals → than.
2. Watch Mad Max first, ___ watch Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior in order.
Sequence of events → then.
3. Nothing terrified audiences more ___ Poltergeist did on release.
“More… than” is a comparison → than.
4. If you liked Total Recall, ___ you’ll love Starship Troopers.
“If… then” is a conditional structure → then.
5. Eddie Redmayne is a better actor ___ many people expected before The Theory of Everything.
“Better… than” is a comparative → than.
6. Alex Garland used practical sets rather ___ green screen for Annihilation.
“Rather than” always compares two options → than.
7. Mad Max came out first — ___ came Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior.
A step in a timeline → then.
8. The Village is even longer ___ Signs.
“Longer… than” compares two runtimes → than.
Keep going
Related lessons in Commonly Confused Words:
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