Which to use
“then” is an adverb and “they” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #17,149
- “then” frequency rank
- #9,818
- “they” frequency rank
- 26967
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | then | they |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Bezug zu einem im Text vorher genannten Zeitpunkt | sie |
Where the eye mixes then and they
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between then and they
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: then is [ðɛn] while they is [ðeɪ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - n in “then” becomes y in “they”, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs pronoun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26967, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
then is recorded at frequency rank #17,149, classified as anadv, pronounced [ðɛn]. they is at rank #9,818, tagged as apron, pronounced [ðeɪ].
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 26967, this pair ranks #1,809,439 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of then vs they
Shared letters: eht. Private to "then": n. Private to "they": y.
"then" · 4 letters · shape CCVC · "they" · 4 letters · shape CCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "then" and "they" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "then" vs "they" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "then" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "they" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,809,439 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "then" and "they" 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 #1,809,439 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.