Which to use
“them” is a pronoun and “then” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #15,759
- “them” frequency rank
- #17,149
- “then” frequency rank
- 32908
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | them | then |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Personalpronomen 3. Person Plural Objektform: ihnen, sie | Bezug zu einem im Text vorher genannten Zeitpunkt |
Where the eye mixes them and then
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: them vs then
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: them is [ðɛm] while then is [ðɛn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - m in “them” becomes n in “then”, and the parts of speech differ too (pronoun vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32908, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
them is recorded at frequency rank #15,759, classified as apron, pronounced [ðɛm]. then is at rank #17,149, tagged as anadv, pronounced [ðɛn].
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 32908, this pair ranks #1,697,453 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of them vs then
Shared letters: eht. Private to "them": m. Private to "then": n.
"them" · 4 letters · shape CCVC · "then" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "them" and "then" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "them" vs "then" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "them" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "then" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,697,453 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "them" and "then" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "then vs thy". 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 #1,697,453 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.