# then

> English word · Adverb · IPA /ðɛn/ · frequency rank #91

## Definitions
1. At that time.
2. Soon afterward.
3. Next in order of place.
4. In addition; also; besides.
5. In that case.
6. At the same time; on the other hand.
7. Used to contradict an assertion.

## Etymology
From Middle English then(ne), than(ne), from Old English þonne, þanne, þænne (“then, at that time”), from Proto-West Germanic *þan, from Proto-Germanic *þan (“at that (time), then”), from earlier *þam, from Proto-Indo-European *tóm, accusative masculine of *só (“demonstrative pronoun, that”).
Cognate with Dutch dan (“then”), German dann (“then”), Swedish då (“then”), Icelandic þá (“then”). Doublet of than.

## Easily confused with
- **TN** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/then-vs-tn)
- **tie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/then-vs-tie)
- **tho** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/then-vs-tho)
- **ton** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/then-vs-ton)
- **thy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/then-vs-thy)
- **toe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/then-vs-toe)
- **tin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/then-vs-tin)
- **Tue** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/then-vs-tue)
- **Thi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/then-vs-thi)
- **Thu** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/then-vs-thu)
- **tre** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/then-vs-tre)
- **tun** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/then-vs-tun)
- **tse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/then-vs-tse)
- **tye** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/then-vs-tye)
- **THT** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/then-vs-tht)
- **this** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/then-vs-this)
- **they** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/then-vs-they)
- **turn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/then-vs-turn)
- **town** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/then-vs-town)
- **thus** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/then-vs-thus)

## Common misspellings (6)
`hten`, `tehn`, `thenn`, `thhen`, `thne`, `tthen`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/then