then vs thin, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“then” is an adverb and “thin” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#17,149
“then” frequency rank: #45,623
“thin” frequency rank: 62772
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	then	thin
Definition	Bezug zu einem im Text vorher genannten Zeitpunkt	von geringer Dicke

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch

then

4 ch

thin

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: then is [ðɛn] while thin is [ˈθɪn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - e in “then” becomes i in “thin”, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62772, 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]. thin is at rank #45,623, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈθɪn].

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 62772, this pair ranks #700,837 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of then vs thin

Shared letters: hnt. Private to "then": e. Private to "thin": i.

"then" · 4 letters · shape CCVC · "thin" · 4 letters · shape CCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

then ← hten · tehn · thenn · thhen · thne · tthen
thin ← htin · thhin · thinn · thni · tihn · tthin

Frequency comparison

then#17,149

thin#45,623

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "then" and "thin" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "then" is an adverb and "thin" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "then" or "thin"?

"then" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,149 in our German list, against #45,623 for "thin". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering then vs thin

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “then”; for an adjective, it's “thin”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “then” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable