Difference Between Then and Than
There is difference between the words ‘then’ and ‘than’. Than is a conjunction and works as a preposition too while ‘then’ is adverb denoting past as well as future time. ‘than’ is conjunction used to make a comparison between to adjectives, nouns, and verbs.
Than
The similarity between the two objects or things can be expressed with a literary device called ‘simile’. For example ‘my love is like a red rose.’ In this sentence the qualities of the two things are compared. Here the ‘love’ and ‘rose’ are similar. We can say this in another way, ‘my love is as beautiful as a rose’. We can compare the two things with the help of ‘than’ if there is no similarity between the two things. Look at the example below.
Deer runs fast.
Tiger runs faster.
We can combine these two sentences, ‘Tiger runs faster than deer.’ Here comparison is done. Look at more examples:
She is taller than her mother.
He is smarter than you.
Then
The word ‘Then’ is used to express the situation when one action follows the other. The word ‘Then’ introduces the later action. Look at the example:
I came out of the house, and then locked the door.
Here two actions are performed. First action is ‘coming out of the house’ and the second action is ‘locking the door’ which happened later.
The word ‘then’ may be used to give some extra information about something. For example, ‘He came to me. And then he began to weep’. The word ‘then’ can tell the relation. For example, ‘you, then, are the master of the whole drama.’ The word ‘Then’ can express the result of something as in the example below:
‘if he asks me, then I will help him certainly.
The word ‘than’ is used in the sense of ‘difference’ in comparison. ‘She likes sweets more than nuts.’ The word ‘then’ on the contrary is used to indicate the next thing in the series of happenings or actions. He ate two loaves of bread and then drank a glass of milk.