Which to use
“then” is an adverb and “three” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #23,392
- “then” frequency rank
- #19,176
- “three” frequency rank
- 42568
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | then | three |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (Adverbe conjonctif) Alors, dans ce cas, par conséquence. | (radiotéléphonie) Mot de code radiotéléphonique de l'OACI, OTAN et SIA pour le chiffre 3. |
Where the eye mixes then and three
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: then vs three
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: then is \ˈðɛn\ while three is \ˈtri\. 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 (adverb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42568, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
then is recorded at frequency rank #23,392, classified as anadv, pronounced \ˈðɛn\. three is at rank #19,176, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ˈtri\.
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 42568, this pair ranks #224,623 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of then vs three
Shared letters: eht. Private to "then": n. Private to "three": r.
"then" · 4 letters · shape CCVC · "three" · 5 letters · shape CCCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "then" and "three" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "then" or "three"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "then" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "three" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #224,623 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "then" and "three" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "then vs tun". 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 #224,623 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.