Difference between then and than?

Then and than are not slang and aren’t pronounced the same. Hair is on your head, a hare is similar to a rabbit.

then = when like there = where than = comparison The vowel in "then" sounds like "hem". The vowel in "than" sounds like "ham" (but people often pronounce it like "hem").

Then ≈ after(wards), because of Than ≈ (when) compared to I'm also pretty sure than and then are pronounced differently. They're similar (a minimal pair, even) but not the same, as far as I'm aware.

Then /ðen/ and than /ðæn/ are distinct in most accents, IIRC they are merged in Indian English and amongst some Singaporeans. The distinction between /e/, or /ɛ/ in the US, and /æ/ is not common in other languages and the typical \[a \~ æ\] of /æ/ is also rare. This is made worse by accents like General American having /æ/ and /ɛ/ quite close together. If your native language doesn't have a similar sound contrast, these difference can be difficult to hear. Than also has a weak form, /ðən/. This may make the difference less clear, particularly if you're less familiar with how weak and strong forms work. Bare/bear and hair/hare are typically homophones. The difference is usually obvious from context, but there are some common writing errors like hair-brained and hair-lip, when both should be hare. [https://youtu.be/mCU-rxobBoo](https://youtu.be/mCU-rxobBoo) on the trap-dress contrast. [https://youtu.be/EaXYas58\_kc](https://youtu.be/EaXYas58_kc) on strong and weak forms.

I pronounce bare (naked) and bear (the animal) the same. I pronounce hair (on your head) and hare (a rabbit) the same. I do not pronounce then (first we did this, then we did that) the same as than (I like cake more than ice cream.)

they're not slang. than is usually used as a conjunction (second part of a comparison) and then is usually an adverb (to show time progression). * My brother is smarter **than** me. * I'll go to a coffee shop first **then** straight home. than has the same vowel sound as bad. then has the same vowel sound as bed.

then references time. than references a comparison

Then can be used in two ways It can mean “afterwards” such as in “slap him in the face, then run away” It can mean “in that case” such as in “if you want to get stronger, then work out” Than is used for comparisons “I arrived later than I was supposed to”

Then and than aren’t slang. Than is a comparison.

"Than" doesn't sound different to "then" like the "an" is absolutely noticeable.

I believe it is the dialect/localized mispronunciations in the US that cause the words to be frequently misspelled, as well. When children hear than and then pronounced the same (rhyming with hen/when/men/den) then they misuse/misspell the words as well.

Also, bear confuses me because I see people say “I cannot bear this” and then people refer to the actual animal. Are they just spelled the exact same, but two different words?

**Then** relates to time and sequences of events. * *I went to work **then** I went to the gym.* * *He was tired **then** all of a sudden, he collapsed.* Then can also be used for others to extrapolate meaning - often an insult * *Oh well then...(see if I care!)* Or to reinforce/concur * *-Are you going to bed? (Now)* * *-I might as well then.* **Than** is a comparison word. * *I am older **than** you.* * *I prefer strawberry **than** chocolate ice cream.* It becomes more confusing when you compare things within a time frame because some people forget that 'than' is the comparison word and it takes precedence over 'then' which is the time sequence word. * *The schedule is more flexible **than** before* = correct * *The schedule is more flexible **then** before* = wrong

These two words are not slang. They are also not pronounced the same. **then** is a reference to time and chronology (then mean it happens after something else) **than** is a comparison between to states of being (hot/cold, early/late, friendly/mean)

Then has to do with time and sequential things. "I have to go to the meeting then I will leave for the airport" or "What are you going to do then?" Than is for comparisons. "She is smarter than him" "This one is heavier than that one" They are not pronounced the same and are not slang. Bare and bear and hair and hare--they're also nouns and verbs so they're used differently in sentences. I think after a while you start to 'expect' certain words in places or roles in sentences and so that's how homophones aren't mixed up. Here and hear are another pair. It is a perfectly valid sentence to say "Here I hear you" or "I hear you here". After "I" we're expecting to hear a verb whereas something to do with 'where' like "here" is usually at the beginning or end of a statement. "I, here, hear you" is a valid sentence as well but is convoluted to speak or listen to and I don't think anyone would prefer to say it this way. Maybe someone would write it, but when you read it the words have different letters. I record a record is another one. Lead, read, etc.

Maybe there are some dialects where they're pronounced the same but in most I'm aware of "then" and "than" are pronounced quite differently. In what way are you struggling with them? It should be very easy to tell the difference from context with all of these examples in most circumstances.