Which to use
“then” is an adverb and “turn” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #91
- “then” frequency rank
- #484
- “turn” frequency rank
- 575
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | then | turn |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | At that time. | To make a non-linear physical movement. |
Where the eye mixes then and turn
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: then is /ðɛn/ while turn is /tɜːn/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 575, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
then is recorded at frequency rank #91, classified as anadv, pronounced /ðɛn/. turn is at rank #484, tagged as averb, pronounced /tɜːn/.
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 575, this pair ranks #529,172 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of then vs turn
Shared letters: nt. Private to "then": eh. Private to "turn": ru.
"then" · 4 letters · shape CCVC · "turn" · 4 letters · shape CVCC