ThanvsthinkWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Than is a noun, think is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Than” is a noun and “think” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#13,037
“Than” frequency rank
#14,430
“think” frequency rank
27467
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Than think
Definition Gefolgsmann des Königs oder eines Fürsten bei den Angelsachsen; seit dem 10. Jahrhundert erblicher Großgrundbesitzer Verstandesarbeit leisten, denken

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Than and think apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
Than
5 ch
think

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Than and think form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27467, 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]. think is at rank #14,430, tagged as averb, pronounced [θɪŋk].

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 27467, this pair ranks #1,801,346 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

Than#13,037
think#14,430

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Than" and "think" be used interchangeably?
No, "Than" and "think" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering Than vs think

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Than”; for a verb, it's “think”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Than” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list