Which to use
“Than” is a noun and “thank” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13,037
- “Than” frequency rank
- #25,346
- “thank” frequency rank
- 38383
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Than | thank |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Gefolgsmann des Königs oder eines Fürsten bei den Angelsachsen; seit dem 10. Jahrhundert erblicher Großgrundbesitzer | sich für etwas erkenntlich zeigen |
Where the eye mixes Than and thank
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Than vs thank
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Than is [taːn] while thank is [θæŋk]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “Than” sits inside “thank”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38383, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Than is recorded at frequency rank #13,037, classified as anoun, pronounced [taːn]. thank is at rank #25,346, tagged as averb, pronounced [θæŋk].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 38383, this pair ranks #1,565,419 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Than vs thank
Shared letters: ahnt. Private to "Than": -. Private to "thank": k.
"Than" · 4 letters · shape CCVC · "thank" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Than" for "thank" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Than" vs "thank" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Than" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "thank" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,565,419 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Than" and "thank" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "thank vs tränke". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,565,419 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.