Than, Then
Than compares things, but then is all about time. They sound similar and were even spelled the same until the 1700s. Not anymore! Vive la difference!
Than shows comparison and has words on either side. A giraffe is bigger than a weasel. A pickle tastes better than a shoe. Than shows up in familiar sayings:
Okay, then, let's talk about then. Then doesn't bother comparing anything, it just moves things along. Then can be used as in "next," or "at a particular time," or "in that case." It often comes after an "if" as in "If we write about cats, then we must write about dogs." And then there were examples:
(Description from Vocabulary.com and graphic from Grammarly) |