What Is Their Main Difference?

They are somehow similar in their pronunciations and dictations. However, 'then' is an adverb of time that indicates doing something after another, whereas, 'than' functions as both a preposition of manner and a subordinating conjunction.

Differences

'Then' is an adverb of time that indicates something happened after another one. Look below:

Example

She opened the bathroom door. Then, she slowly went in.

Then what happened?

'Than' is both a preposition of manner and a subordinating conjunction. We use it for comparison. Look at the examples below:

Example

He is taller than me.

I socialize less than I did before.

Similarities

Basically, they have no similarities.

Are They Interchangeable?

Since they have different grammatical functions and meanings, they cannot be used interchangeably. 'Then' refers to the time, while, 'than' is for comparison. Compare:

Example

✓ So, you basically have nothing to talk about other than my appearance?

X So, you basically have nothing to talk about other then my appearance?

As you can see, this one is wrong.

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