Which to use
“taken” is an adjective and “then” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #474
- “taken” frequency rank
- #91
- “then” frequency rank
- 565
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | taken | then |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Infatuated; fond of or attracted to. | At that time. |
Where the eye mixes taken and then
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: taken is /ˈteɪ.kn̩/ while then is /ðɛn/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 565, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
taken is recorded at frequency rank #474, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈteɪ.kn̩/. then is at rank #91, 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 565, this pair ranks #529,187 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of taken vs then
Shared letters: ent. Private to "taken": ak. Private to "then": h.
"taken" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "then" · 4 letters · shape CCVC